Task Force to Study Organ Allocation

The Texas Department of Health has appointed a 13-member task force to study the organ donation and distribution system in Texas. Three officials from Houston's transplant community will serve on the task force including: Sam Holtzman, CEO of LifeGift Organ Donation Center, transplant surgeons Dr. Patrick Wood, assistant medical director of LifeGift, and Dr. Barry Kahan, professor of surgery and director of the division of immunology and organ transplantation at The University of Texas-Houston Medical School.

The Texas Senate created the 13-member task force as a part of an amendment to Senate Bill 862, which was signed into law on June 28. The bill requires that organs donated in Texas be offered first to patients awaiting transplants in Texas. State Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr. (D-Houston), State Representative Kyle Janek (R-Houston) and State Senator Mike Moncrief (D-Fort Worth) drafted the bill to counteract a national organ sharing system to be implemented by the federal government on October 1.

"There is a shortage of organs because the demand far exceeds the supply; the only way to solve this issue is for more people to say yes to giving the gift of life and becoming organ donors," says Holtzman. "The cooperation of organ donation centers, transplant surgeons and patients in Texas will allow us to fine-tune the way organs are shared for the benefit of people in Texas."

The Texas Department of Health appointed task force members based on various criteria, including medical expertise on organ transplantation on state and national levels. Serving on the task force are individuals representing each of the three organ procurement regions in Texas including: three representatives from each organ procurement organization in Texas, three medical experts in organ transplantation nominated by a statewide medical association and three individuals with expertise in organ transplantation nominated by transplant centers in Texas. Three members from the patient community, including patients waiting for organ transplants, were also selected to represent the three organ procurement regions in Texas. One individual will represent the operator of the national organ procurement and transplantation network and scientific registry of transplantation recipients in an advisory capacity on the task force.

"I am confident that the panel will provide lawmakers with an insightful report and competent recommendations based on their findings," Gallegos says. "These are some of the most respected experts in the organ transplant community."

The taskforce will study the current organ allocation system on state and national levels, including waiting times at transplant centers in Texas and patient survival rates for organ recipients. The task force is scheduled to present their recommendations to the state legislature and Governor George W. Bush on December 1, 2000.

- LifeGift Organ Donation Center

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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