Frequently Asked Questions

Organ Donation in Colorado

Updated on September 27, 2017

What is organ and tissue donation?

There are two types of organ donation, deceased donation and living donation.

Deceased organ, eye, or tissue donation is the process of recovering organs or tissue at the time
of the donors death for transplantation to save anothers life. Living organ donation occurs
when a healthy person donates a kidney or part of the liver, lung, intestine, pancreas, or bone
marrow to save anothers life.

What is the current situation in Colorado?

Over the past 10 years, the transplant waiting list has increased by 50% in Colorado,
compared to the national 25.6%. The 16.6% increase in the states population doesnt justify this
difference.
The number of Coloradans in need of a kidney has doubled over the past 10 years to 1,881 at
the beginning of 2016. As of September, 2017, there are 1,864 Coloradans waiting for a kidney.
Last year, 104 Coloradans died while waiting for a kidney, an organ that could have been safely
donated by a living person with little risk to their health (a serious complication rate of less than
1%).

How can we best address the critical shortage of kidneys in Colorado?

With millions of dollars spent on educational materials and awareness, donor registration for
deceased donation has only increased 9% over the past 10 years.

Since 74% of Coloradans on the list are waiting for kidneys, focusing on live kidney
donation seems to be the only immediate solution for maximizing transplantion in our
state.

Even with minimal awareness campaigns, last year in our region, 123 living donors saved
lives compared to 133 deceased donors. Imagine how many more potential live kidney
donors would step forward if there was more education and awareness. If just 1 out of every
3,000 Coloradans donated a kidney, the kidney waiting list would be eliminated.

How does the American Transplant Foundation address living donation in

Colorado?
The American Transplant Foundation (ATF) is the only nonprofit in the state of Colorado that
provides three tiers of support for living donors, transplant recipients, and their families. We
proactively reduce the transplant wait list by enabling living donation through educational,
emotional, and financial support.

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 ATF is a grassroots organization that does not receive any funding from the government, nor
organ recovery fees and relies on individual and community donations. We believe that simply
increasing awareness of living donation is not enough. There needs to be an infrastructure to
support living donors before, during, and after the surgery. ATF strives to provide this for all
Coloradans and is seeking funding to achieve this goal.
1 out 4 Coloradans who participated in the Foundations 1+1=LIFE Mentorship Program
underwent surgery with 15 surgeries facilitated. This is a great outcome compared to other
living donation education programs.

What are the benefits of living donation?

In 2014, the American Society of Transplantation stated that living kidney donor transplantation
is the best option for most kidney transplant candidates. It is critical that more Coloradans have
access to it. The average 5-year survival rate for those who receive a kidney from a living donor is
86% compared to 79% from a deceased donor and 40% for those on dialysis.

There are tremendous economic benefits for live kidney donation as it eliminates substantial
transplant acquisition fees charged to hospitals by organ procurement organizations which are
ultimately paid by Medicare/Medicaid and other insurance plans. On average, for each
transplanted patient taken off dialysis, Medicare saves over $500,000 over the course of 10 years.

Table 1. Organ Donation and Transplantation in Colorado: 2006-2016

2006 2016 Increase
Percentage of registered donors 60% 69% 9%

Number of residents who died or became too sick to remain on the waitlist 123 225 82.9%
Number of residents who died or became too sick to remain on the
50 180 260%
waitlist for kidney
Total number of residents waiting for a lifesaving organ 1,700 2,542 49.5%
Number of residents in need of a kidney transplant 970 1,881 93.9%
Number of deceased organ donors 98 133 35.7%
Number of deceased donors who died from drug overdose 5 22 340%

Total percent of deceased donors from drug overdose 5% 17% 12%

Number of kidneys recovered and transplanted* 142 215 51.4%

Combined number of living kidney and liver donors 108 123 13.9%

Research conducted by American Transplant Foundation, September 27th, 2017; Source: UNOS
*Data is reported for CO and WY combined from Donor Alliance Fact Sheets for 2016 and 2007;

separate data for CO or WY is not available

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Table 2. American Transplant Foundations Programs in Colorado

Total
to date
Number of surgeries taken place with the help of ATFs 1+1=LIFE Mentorship Program 48
Number of 1+1=LIFE Mentors in Colorado 70
Number of active 1+1=LIFE Mentees in Colorado 18
Number of Coloradans who expressed interest in becoming living donors through ATFs
Potential Living Donor Database 71
Number of Colorado families assisted with financial support through Patient Assistance
Program 880

Source: American Transplant Foundation

Notes: 1+1=LIFE Mentorship Program established in 2014; Patient Assistance Program has
been established in 2011; all funding decisions are being made by ATF volunteers.

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