Great EC Opportunity with Students for Organ Donation

[SanDiegoSOD]

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I know that many of you are looking for an outstanding EC to really help your application stand out from the rest of the crowd, so I thought that I would let you know about an organization that I have been involved with: Students for Organ Donation. Students for Organ Donation is a student-run, non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating students and campus communities about the growing need for organ donation in the United States and Canada. Chapters of Students for Organ Donation promote organ donation education by running organ donation awarness campaigns on their college campus, by participating in health fairs and volunteer fairs, and by various other methods.

Students for Organ Donation is looking for students to start chapters of the organization at their college campus. These students would serve as President and Founders of their chapter, and would be responsible for leading the chapter at their school. If you are at all interested in the organization, please check it out at www.StudentDonor.org , and click on the "Get Involved" page to send a message to Students for Organ Donation indicating your interest. I will also post more information on the organization below. Thanks!

Note: If you have questions about the organization, please ask it in this thread instead of through PM. That way everyone can benefit from the answer.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Students for Organ Donation is a nonprofit organization founded by college students in the summer of 2003 dedicated to promoting organ donation awareness and registration on college campuses and the nearby communities.

Why is organ and tissue donation important?
There are currently over 89,000 Americans that are awaiting a life saving organ donation. Many of those waiting are endemically sick until they receive an organ transplant, and over 6,000 individuals die every year due to the lack of available organs. This problem could be largely eliminated if the public was more informed of the need for organ donation; nearly 90% of Americans approve of donation, while less than one in four people have taken the necessary steps to assure that their organs are donated when they die. Students for Organ Donation can help alleviate this problem.

How do I start a chapter of Students for Organ Donation?
First get in touch with Students for Organ Donation to get approval to start a chapter at your school. If several students from one university are interested, there will be an application process in which we will select a president and vice president to head-up the chapter. Once you have received approval from the national offices, you will need to contact the Student Affairs office of your university to see what steps you need to take to become an officially registered undergraduate organization. The president and vice-president need to work together to build a team of students to assist in running the chapter and its events. The president and vice-president of each chapter will receive detailed instructions and suggestions on how to build and run a successful chapter of Students for Organ Donation in the official chapter handbook.

What are the expectations and dues of each chapter?
Students for Organ Donation never collects chapter or member dues. We expect each chapter to hold at least one major awareness campaign each year, preferably in synchronization with all other chapters of Students for Organ Donation during National Student Donate Life Week, held annually in April.

What resources are provided for chapters?
Chapters receive donor cards, brochures, pins, and informational videos shipped to them free of charge. Templates for posters and flyers are available for the use of each chapter. Chapters also have access to contacts through a network of students and professors at universities across the country, as well as various private and governmental organizations that promote public health causes. Local Organ Procurement Organizations are generally able to provide chapters with additional materials for donor-awareness activities.

What do chapters do?
Chapters work to promote organ donation awareness and registration, focusing on registering as many individuals as possible. Chapters have some freedom in determining the exact methods they will use, allowing them to find the best way to run campaigns on their individual campus. At the minimum, we expect each chapter to host one major on-campus campaign. Guidelines and suggestions for campaigns are available in the chapter handbook given to chapter presidents. Additionally, established chapters are planning to participate in donor awareness campaigns for the community and make presentations in local high schools during the 2005-2006 school year.

 

[Shredder]

do you think med school would be ok with it if i fired up a students for organ auctioning? it just makes so much sense compared to queues...

btw what do rich ppl do when they need organs? surely not wait in queues? bribery, black markets?

 

[TheMightyAngus]

do you think med school would be ok with it if i fired up a students for organ auctioning? it just makes so much sense compared to queues...

btw what do rich ppl do when they need organs? surely not wait in queues? bribery, black markets?

According to the UW ethics site, if the patient is influential, then you better give him preferential treatment.

http://eduserv.hscer.washington.edu/bioethics/topics/resalld2.html

 

[hardy]

btw what do rich ppl do when they need organs? surely not wait in queues? bribery, black markets?

The buy them in India or China. Apparently there are specialized clinics for such a clientele. Can't remember where I read that but if it is true there should be more material online.

 

[sunnyjohn]

👍

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

btw what do rich ppl do when they need organs? surely not wait in queues? bribery, black markets?

If they do attempt to go through a black market, it certainly isn't in the United States. One can go abroad to Iran, Kuwait, the Phillipines, Russia, China, or Israel to get a legal or illegal transplant. However, this fact only underscores the desperate need for organ donors in the United States. If all Americans understood the life-saving gift of donation and agreed to be organ donors when they die, then the waiting time for a transplant would decrease dramatically and several thousand lives would be saved annualy. Something to think about.

 

[Shredder]

If they do attempt to go through a black market, it certainly isn't in the United States. One can go abroad to Iran, Kuwait, the Phillipines, Russia, China, or Israel to get a legal or illegal transplant. However, this fact only underscores the desperate need for organ donors in the United States. If all Americans understood the life-saving gift of donation and agreed to be organ donors when they die, then the waiting time for a transplant would decrease dramatically and several thousand lives would be saved annualy. Something to think about.

there need to be better incentives for donating organs. benevolence is in short supply, much too short to rely upon as the sole incentive. what benefit do ppl derive from donating organs? even if they are deceased, is there any benefit for their heirs?

whenever i see shortages i see red flags that indicate something is not right

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

there need to be better incentives for donating organs. benevolence is in short supply, much too short to rely upon as the sole incentive. what benefit do ppl derive from donating organs? even if they are deceased, is there any benefit for their heirs?

whenever i see shortages i see red flags that indicate something is not right

I agree. Although a system that is based purely on altruism is ideal, it doesnt meet the needs of the 90,000 people awaiting a transplant. However, there is no easy solution. Any solution that allows one to sell organs for transplant would greatly exploit the poor at the expense of the rich. Other systems, such as one forcing all eligible individuals to donate, is offensive to many and tramples on personal autonomy and civil liberties. There is no easy answer, but a short term "fix" to the problem is to spread the word on the need for donation and increase the number of those registered to donate under the current system. If you can't work outside of the system to solve the problem, you can definitely help by working within the system. 👍

 

[masterMood]

grrrr....i am mad. You know when you type something on the quick response click "post quick reply" and then you realize that you're not logged in, you lose the entire message. yeah that's what just happened to me.


if this organization is legitimate, then I am seriously considering starting one at my university. basically what i wanted to know is how much time and effort must be put into this to start the program at my college to begin with, then how much time would be spent every month running this as a president. i mean if i can start this organization on campus (i can recruit people easily), then how seriously would college students/colleges/med. schools look upon this? What i mean is, is it possible to create this club now (as a freshmen) and four years later still have it active? Or would it most likely be that the very organization itself would disappear from the internet in a couple months. Like i said, i'm excited about something like this, as long as people aren't skeptical about it and it will definitely pick up (i.e. still be running after 8 years?)

 

[Shredder]

I agree. Although a system that is based purely on altruism is ideal, it doesnt meet the needs of the 90,000 people awaiting a transplant. However, there is no easy solution. Any solution that allows one to sell organs for transplant would greatly exploit the poor at the expense of the rich. Other systems, such as one forcing all eligible individuals to donate, is offensive to many and tramples on personal autonomy and civil liberties. There is no easy answer, but a short term "fix" to the problem is to spread the word on the need for donation and increase the number of those registered to donate under the current system. If you can't work outside of the system to solve the problem, you can definitely help by working within the system. 👍

i see what you mean about working with whats available. is there any other way to fix the problem of organ shortages though? something revolutionary? forcing ppl to do anything is unacceptable. if ppl are not agreeing to donate organs post mortem, what about offering monetary incentives to their heirs? that way exploiting is avoided. i think the word on the need for donation is pretty well spread, but whos to say ppl will heed it--why should they?

its just the business part of me speaking. i always believe in making mutual transactions vs beseeching. i guess it comes down to this--even after awareness is spread, what is an effective sales pitch?

 

[dajimmers]

i see what you mean about working with whats available. is there any other way to fix the problem of organ shortages though? something revolutionary?

Well, technology may some day be able to relieve most demand. Either immune-tolerant pig organs, tissue-engineered organs made in the lab, or clones (i.e. The Island). Tissue-engineering is still a ways off, but they're inching towards being able to take your own cells, put them in a organ scaffold, and grow a new organ under the right conditions.

...forcing ppl to do anything is unacceptable. if ppl are not agreeing to donate organs post mortem, what about offering monetary incentives to their heirs?

Only immediate problem I could see is the "Life Insurance" example. A poor family wishes a member of the family dead so they get the money they need. We don't want the poor forced to donate a kidney or an eye to ensure food or education...

 

[medgirl20]

In France and some other European countries they have an opt out system where instead of carrying an organ donor card or signing your driving licence, it is assumed that everyone wants to be an organ donor unless they carry a card and sign some papers to say that they don't want to be a donor. I think it's a good system because so many people say "I'd want my organs donated or I'd have no problem with donating my organs" yet so many of these people son't carry organ donor cards or discuss their wishes with their family.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Because this thread has really strayed from its original intent, please feel free to PM me if you have questions on Students for Organ Donation and how you can get involved. 😀

 

[jbrice1639]

if ppl are not agreeing to donate organs post mortem, what about offering monetary incentives to their heirs?

seems to me this would be a great way to go...perhaps waiving inheritance tax on organ donors' heirs could be an option to explore...or at least covering funeral costs or something.

 

[Mutt]

If I become a donor, won't they like, not help me if I come into the ER?
I heard that if they know you're a donor, they put you in a special room until you die rather than try and save you. 😛

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

If I become a donor, won't they like, not help me if I come into the ER?
I heard that if they know you're a donor, they put you in a special room until you die rather than try and save you. 😛

You're probably joking, but in case your not, I should set the record straight. Being an organ donor does not place your health or safety in any danger. The only incentive that your doctor and healthcare professionals have is to save you, as the people that care for you would not be the same team that handles organ donation. The myth that being a donor is dangerous is simply that - a myth. 👍

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Thanks to everyone that has contacted Students for Organ Donation over these past few days. If you're interested in starting a chapter, please contact us ASAP so that don't have to wait until next semester to begin building the organization. 👍