POLICY CORNER

State Policy Principles to Support Access to Biomarker Testing

The American Cancer Society is spearheading a coalition to help ensure that patients spanning across therapeutic areas (including transplant recipients) can get access to biomarker testing. Legislation is currently moving through various States.

The core principles this coalition supports includes:

• Increase awareness and education of comprehensive biomarker testing and precision medicine among patients, health care providers and policymakers

• Improve access to comprehensive biomarker testing to reduce health disparities

• Ensure coverage across all insurers of appropriate comprehensive biomarker testing and precision medicines to improve health outcomes

• Support access to innovations in comprehensive biomarker testing and precision medicines by ensuring patients have access to clinical trials.

Learn more

DE&I IN TRANSPLANT

OPO partners with Black history museum to increase organ donor registrations

“We want to change the narrative around this.”

Kia Potts is the Multicultural Community Affairs Director for LifeNet Health, a Virginia-based organ procurement organization (OPO). LifeNet Health is one of the 56 non-profits across the country who are on the front line of organ recovery. They work directly with the families of lost loved ones and help facilitate the gift of life. The narrative she’s working to change involves the lingering misconceptions about organ donation.

It’s why LifeNet Health established the “One Hero” campaign, which is an effort to increase the number of Black Richmond residents who have registered their decision to become organ donors. The legacy of health disparities and the realities of systemic racism, particularly within healthcare settings, makes this both complex and essential.

Read the article from UNOS

MEMBER FEATURE

2024 Transplant Games Location Announced

The Transplant Games of America is headed to the “Magic City” of Birmingham, Alabama next year from July 5-July 10, 2024, in what is expected to be the largest Celebration of Life honoring the amazing miracle of organ, eye, and tissue transplantation. The Birmingham community has embraced the mission of honoring donors and heralding the return to health for thousands of recipients across the country

Read the press release

FEATURED EVENT

Creating Comfort Blanket Event

Two of our coalition members, Donate Life Coalition of Michigan and Michigan Donor Family Council will be hosting their 5th Annual Creating Comfort Blanket Event on March 29th from 5-7 PM.

Learn more & register