LiveOnNY and the Greater New York City Black Nurses Association Award First Ever Organ Donation Champion Scholarships to Outstanding Nurses Who Help Others Live On

NEW YORK, NY (Nov. 1, 2022) – LiveOnNY, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the New York City metropolitan area, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, and the lower Hudson Valley, awarded the first ever LiveOnNY Organ Donation Champion Scholarship to nursing student Hallye Boughner and nurse Tiffany Minto who both support and advocate for organ and tissue donation within the community to help others Live On. The scholarships were presented at the Greater New York City Black Nurses Association (GNYCBNA) Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala on October 22nd in New York City. LiveOnNY was also recognized at the event for their support of GNYCBNA and of nurses in the New York Community who are the foundation of serving our organ and tissue donor heroes and their families.

“LiveOnNY, our donor hospitals and our transplant hospitals have had the privilege to save and change more lives in 2022 than ever before thanks to the incredible nurses across New York who support our mission and put donation first in our community,” said LiveOnNY President and CEO Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP. “We are pleased to award the first ever LiveOnNY Organ Donation Champion Scholarships to two Nurse Champions who share our mission of helping others Live On through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.”

LiveOnNY is committed to supporting efforts for equitable healthcare and is proud to support the GNYCBNA mission to advocate and implement strategies to ensure access to the highest quality of healthcare for persons of color. In the first three months of 2022, 65% of transplant recipients in the LiveOnNY service area represented Black, Hispanic, Asian and other Multiracial and Indigenous groups.

“The Greater New York City Black Nurses Association is proud to work with LiveOnNY to increase educational efforts, dispel myths about organ donation and scale LiveOnNY’s advocacy efforts in our community for those in need. Our nurses know how the gift of life can help those in need of transplantation and are ready to lead the way in our shared community,” said Julius Johnson III, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, Greater New York City Black Nurses Association Chapter President.

It has been a record-breaking year for LiveOnNY during which the organization saw a 40% increase in organs transplanted, a 33% increase in organ donors and a 32% increase in tissue donors in the first 6 months of 2022. Approximately 9,000 New Yorkers remain on the waitlist for a lifesaving organ so that they may Live On. Please register to become an Organ Donor today at www.LiveOnNY.org.

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, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Working closely with transplant centers and hospitals, LiveOnNY coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation and transplantation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the New York State Donate Life Registry. LiveOnNY works closely with 11 transplant centers, nearly 100 hospitals, and several tissue and eye banks. 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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Media Inquiries:

Josh Knoller, josh@nicholaslence.com

LiveOnNY Inquiries:

Ali McSherry, amcsherry@liveonny.org