UNOS DonateLife

April 25, 2003

HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson Unveils New Donor Initiative

Richmond, Va. -- Federal, state and local government officials joined the transplant community today to celebrate life. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson delivered a keynote address in celebration of the first ever National Donate Life Month and then joined in the groundbreaking of the National Donor Memorial.

From the lobby of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) headquarters, Secretary Thompson unveiled the sixth element of the HHS Donation Initiative, a program intended to increase organ donation rates to 75 percent of eligible donors at the nation's 200 largest hospitals, and called upon the transplant community to pledge support.

He also challenged chambers and businesses around the country to join HHS's Workplace Initiative Partnership for Life, a collaboration with companies and employee groups of all sizes to make information on donation available to employees. "Together we can make sure more people get the organs that they need," he said. "Together we can make a difference. And together we can save lives."

Located at the new UNOS headquarters in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in downtown Richmond, the National Donor Memorial will honor organ and tissue donors in this country, highlight the impact of their gift of life on the lives of so many others and underscore the critical importance of increasing organ donation. In addition to a 10,000 square-foot garden, the National Donor Memorial includes a virtual component -- www.donormemorial.org, a Web site featuring tributes to organ and tissue donors, a virtual tour and written description of the physical garden, a calendar of events and news about the memorial.

UNOS manages the nation's organ transplant system under contract with the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Under that contract, UNOS brings together medical professionals, transplant recipients and donor families to develop organ transplantation policy.