The Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA) has awarded grants totalling $430,000 to 20 community organisations for them to encourage more individuals and families to register as organ and tissue donors.
Minister responsible for the OTA, Ken Wyatt said the Authority’s Community Awareness Grants recognised the crucial role of grassroots participation in starting conversations about organ and tissue donations in communities across the country.
“It begins with understanding that every one of us has the potential to one day save or improve lives as a donor, or to one day need the gift of a transplant,” Mr Wyatt said.
He said eight organisations would receive grants to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and multicultural communities, utilising culturally appropriate approaches to promote the importance of family discussion and registration of donation wishes.
He said the grants would also support a wide range of community events during the next year, including around DonateLife Week 2018.
“The message is simple: talk with your family and join the Australian Organ Donor Register,” Mr Wyatt said.
He said it takes less than a minute to register, but the decision could make a lifetime of difference to future organ donor recipients.
“We must continue to increase our donation rates because 1,400 Australians are currently waitlisted for a transplant and more than 11,000 people are receiving renal dialysis, many of whom would benefit from a kidney transplant,” he said.
The list of the 20 successful Community Awareness Grants recipients can be accessed at this PS News link.
