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, saw a new all-time high record surpassed this December, for the amount of organs transplanted in 2021. The organization transplanted over 1,000 organs thanks to the support of the New York community giving back more than ever by choosing to be an organ donor or making the heroic decision of choosing for their family members to be an organ donor to save the lives of others in need.
Selfless decisions by organ donors and their families made this year LiveOnNY’s most successful year ever for the number of organs transplanted into patients on the waiting list. The organization’s staff worked hand in hand with New York’s hospital leaders, physicians, nurses and transplant centers led by world-renowned surgeons and their staff, as well as emergency services and critical care staff across NYS. This resulted in the residents of the greater New York City area generously donating more organs than ever before in the organization’s history to save lives across the region in 2021.
“The Season of Giving has taken on a new meaning in New York as we approach the end of 2021 because of the compassion of our community-neighbors, friends and family. Hundreds of generous donors and their families across hospitals in New York have worked with our staff to give the most precious gift imaginable, the gift of life, resulting in over one thousand organs being transplanted this year to patients waiting for a second chance,” said Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP, President and Chief Executive Officer of LiveOnNY.
LiveOnNY partners with over 90 Hospitals and 11 transplant centers in their designated service area (DSA) to serve 13 million residents. While working quietly behind the scenes, LiveOnNY manages all the communication with donor families in the hospitals and also manages the medical, clinical, operational, financial and transportation logistics of the organ procurement process with hospitals and transplant centers across the DSA.
“Many New Yorkers may know of their friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family members who are currently on the organ transplant waiting list. The public is becoming more aware of how they can save lives by becoming organ donors now or consenting for their family members to become organ donors while still in the hospital, which is why this generosity by the New York Community has led to a record-breaking year of lives saved,” said Lee H. Perlman, Chairman of the LiveOnNY Board of Directors. “A single organ donor or family consent for their loved one to become an organ donor hero can save as many as 8 lives and change the lives of as many as 50 people with tissue donation.” he said.
In New York State, there are rising risks associated with the still unknown effects of COVID-19, as well as the often-forgotten New Yorkers with heart, lung, kidney, intestinal and liver disease, who may need organ transplantation in the future to give them a second chance at life.
“Approximately 9,000 people in New York are currently on the waiting list and the only way we can give them a second chance is through the continued grace of our New York community saying ‘yes’ to saving lives by giving the ultimate gift of life,” said Chad Ezzell, Chief Operating Officer of LiveOnNY. “The waiting list can’t wait, and your family, friends and neighbors may need you, so please consider organ donation to help save lives.”
“We are building a world class team, thanks to our greater New York community’s partnership, and we are currently recruiting recovery surgeons, nurses, paramedics and staff to accommodate this growth of generosity. In the years ahead we hope the ‘season of giving’ will include every single day of the year as we still have a responsibility to provide this gift of life to every person still on the waiting list—a waiting list that continues to grow. Our work is far from done and our greater New York community is counting on us,” Achan said.
