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The Crisis Confronting the African American Community: Organ and Tissue Donation

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Abstract

Life saving breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases like kidney and sickle cell, which disproportionately affects African Americans, have been thwarted by the organ donor shortage problem, donor allocation policy, and matching protocols used in organ allocation. It is critical for the African American community to understand transplantation and donor issues. This article, focusing on renal transplants, examines factors which contribute to Blacks not being offered transplantation as a treatment option, the urgent need for African Americans to be active in supporting organ and tissue donation within their community, and strategies to address ambivalence towards organ donation.

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Correspondence to Wayne R. Moore.

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Moore, W.R. The Crisis Confronting the African American Community: Organ and Tissue Donation. J Afr Am St 11, 42–54 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-007-9005-6

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