NYC Launches First-Ever Organ Preservation Program in the U.S.

A patient room honoring to Capt. Dr. Bradley Kaufman, Division Medical Director for the FDNY, addresses the media.

FDNY members joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg and representatives from the New York Organ Donation Network at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan on Dec. 1 to announce the launch of a pilot program for organ preservation.

The program (a partnership between the FDNY and NYPD with Bellevue Hospital) will allow the City to test the feasibility of recovering organs from the 400-plus eligible people who die of cardiac arrest outside of Manhattan City hospitals each year.

"This has the potential to save many lives," said Mayor Bloomberg.

Nearly 8,000 people in New York City are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, yet the United States does not have a procedure in place to recover organs from locations outside of hospitals.

"The potential is extraordinary," said Dr. Bradley Kaufman, Division Medical Director for the FDNY.

The pilot program, the first of its kind in the country, provides the opportunity for preservation and recovery of kidneys from individuals who have died from a heart attack outside of a hospital setting and have documented their wishes to be a donor.

Right now, only kidneys and livers can be recovered from deceased individuals who die from cardiac arrest.

During the pilot - which runs Dec. 1 through May 2011 - Manhattan's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls will be monitored by a specially trained Organ Preservation team, comprised of a Family Services Specialist from the Organ Donation Network, a licensed emergency physician and two EMT trained Organ Preservation Specialists.

The team will respond in instances where all resuscitation efforts have failed.

If there is an organ donor card available, or if the deceased was registered on the New York State Donor Registry, the team will ask the family to honor those wishes by moving the deceased to the Organ Preservation Ambulance.

At Bellevue Hospital, organ donation will not occur without written consent, or consent from the family or next-of-kin. While this program is designed to honor donor wishes and save more lives, extensive checks and balances have been integrated at every stage of the process to ensure the rights of everyone impacted by this new program are protected.

The media gathered at Bellevue Hospital for the launch of New York City's organ preservation program.

The program is funded with a $1.5 million grant from the U. S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The pilot program will initially cover the borough of Manhattan, with Bellevue Hospital acting exclusively as the donor hospital. Once completed, officials will review the program results and discuss the program's potential to be expanded to other parts of the City.

More than 109,000 people await a life saving organ transplant in the U.S. A new name is added every 13 minutes. While solid organ transplants are routine surgical procedures, more than 6,500 people die each year because an organ is not available.

Learn more about how you can become an organ donor.