University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore.

Organ transplantation is seriously limited by a lack of available organs. This article focuses on the more pronounced lack of organ donation within the African-American population and discusses the consequences of this trend. The reasons for this population's continued reluctance to donate organs are reviewed in detail and current efforts to improve donation rates are outlined. The solution proposed in this article is to acknowledge and use resources already active in the community in efforts to increase organ donation rates within the African-American population. Social workers, teachers, religious leaders, and transplant donors, recipients, and their families would all provide a crucial addition to the multidisciplinary team already involved with organ donation efforts.

PMID: 8496989 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]