MAY 5, 2011 - With 1.5 million Texans signed up to be organ and tissue donors, and with donations endorsed by everyone from elected officials to businesses to the faith community, folks who need transplants have no cause for concerns about availability -- right?
Not quite, says Michele Goddard of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). "In a state with 25 million people and a constant medical need for transplants, you never have enough registered donors," Goddard said, noting that 10,400 Texans are on waiting lists for transplants. And despite good overall registration numbers, actual donation rates remain flat in some areas, such as Central and South Texas.