Students from the University of Nevada Orvis School of Nursing, in partnership with Nevada Donor Network and Northern Nevada HOPES, provided education to the public about organ, eye and tissue donation in celebration of National Minority Donor Awareness Day on August 1. For their community intervention project, the students focused on raising awareness about donation among people of diverse multicultural backgrounds and breaking down barriers that may keep them from registering, including misinformation about the process and religious and cultural beliefs. During their time at Northern Nevada HOPES, they registered or reaffirmed 82 people in the community to be donor heroes. They also created a rack card to leave behind at the clinic that dispels common myths about donation.
“The undergraduate nursing students at OSN were thrilled to work with Nevada Donor Network for their community project,” said Aubree Carlson, MSN, RN, of the Orvis School of Nursing. “Their goal of educating the community on such an important cause resulted in a successful and enriching day at Northern Nevada HOPES.”
Of the 113,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, more than half of those patients are from minority populations, however, these populations are also less likely to register or donate. While people of different races and ethnicities frequently match one another, there is a higher likelihood of achieving a match if the donor and intended recipient share the same ethnic background. Therefore, if donor registration among minority groups can be increased, there is potential to increase access to transplantation for everyone who waits.
The students will continue to encourage family, friends and fellow students to register at www.nvdonor.org/osn.
“We are so proud of the impact these students made through their outreach,” said Monica Myles, Partner Relations Supervisor for Nevada Donor Network. “They were able to initiate important conversations about donation with a diverse group of people while sharing their passion for the cause.”
To learn more about the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation, please visit www.nvdonor.org.
