LiveOnNY Achieves a Second Record-Breaking Year with a 50% Increase in Organ & Tissue Donors Across the NY Metro Region Over the Last Two Years

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveOnNY, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the NY Metro region, reached another milestone achievement in organ and tissue donation. Since implementing a three-year strategic plan 24 months ago, LiveOnNY continues to witness an extraordinary 50% increase in organ and tissue donors, underscoring the remarkable and continuing generosity of New Yorkers to give the ultimate gift, the gift of organ donation. The gift of life.

New York community engagement and collaboration with 100 donor hospitals produced impactful organ donation public awareness campaigns that generated over six billion unpaid media impressions in the last 24 months. LiveOnNY prioritized engaging with New Yorkers to discuss organ donation in an effort to increase donation by addressing the many myths, misconceptions, and disparities of communication within New York communities and cultures. 

Intrinsic mistrust of health care and lack of knowledge about organ donation drives LiveOnNY's continuous efforts to educate and improve the understanding of the many and varied cultural belief systems and perceptions of the just as many New York communities. Every community and culture is capable of understanding the impact each individual can have on their family, their neighbors, their friends, their communities, through organ donation. Effective communication combined with sharing and caring New York communities creates cultures of donation that impact at scale and serve as the primary reason for LiveOnNY's initial and continuing success. More and more individuals and families within every New York community and culture are being inspired by each other to save lives by becoming organ donors.

"I could not be prouder to be a part of the New York community and LiveOnNY, whose relentless commitment to saving lives through donation made this another record-breaking year," said Lee H. Perlman, Chairman of the LiveOnNY Board of Directors.

"New Yorkers have proven once again that their generosity has no boundaries in the face of loss and tragedy," said LiveOnNY President and CEO Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP. "As we enter the third year of our strategic plan, our dedication remains steadfast in increasing the number of lives saved. We thank our donor heroes and their families for making these selfless gifts of life possible for thousands of others across the nation, waiting for a second chance."

More than 100,000 adults and children are on the national wait list—including almost 8,000 in New York State, reinforcing the critical need for continued efforts to increase awareness and support organ and tissue donation.

ABOUT LIVEONNY
LiveOnNY is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation. The OPO, which was established in 1978, serves a culturally and ethnically diverse population of 13 million residents in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Rockland. Working closely with donor hospital and transplant centers, LiveOnNY coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the National or New York State Donate Life Registry. LiveOnNY is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the organ transplant waiting list in the U.S. For more information, please visit LiveOnNY.org.