This page of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation LibGuide is designed for people who are not health care providers, such as patients, families, and others interested in organ donation and transplantation. The links on this page connect to information that is clearly written, without the jargon that may be used in resources for health care providers.
Some helpful resources to start
Important Organizations
- United Network for Organ Sharing [UNOS] - the non-profit serving as the nation’s transplant system under contract with the federal government. Works to continuously strengthen the system, increase the number of organs recovered and the number of transplants performed, and ensure patients across the nation have equitable access to transplantation.
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network [OPTN]- a public-private partnership that links all professionals involved in the U.S. donation and transplantation system, with the goal of making more organs available to more recipients. The OPTN website includes a glossary of donation/transplantation terms that may be helpful to you.
- Health Resources & Services Administration [HRSA] - this unit in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; it helps provide equitable health care to the nation’s highest-need communities—we serve people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable.
