ADVISORY/HHS to Recognize National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week April 24-25 in San Francisco.

News Editors & Health/Medical Writers

ADVISORY...for April 24-25

--(BW HealthWire)

HHS

    WHAT:   Information-sharing sessions will kick-off National
            Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week and HHS Secretary
            Tommy Thompson's Donation Initiative in Region IX. There
            will be information centers available both days for
            employees and the public to obtain additional information
            and organ/tissue donor cards.

    WHO:    The San Francisco Regional Offices of the Centers for
            Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Health Resources
            and Services Administration (HRSA), in conjunction with
            several community organizations*, are hosting public
            awareness events about the importance of organ and tissue
            donation. The program will feature Reg Green of "The
            Nicholas Effect" who will introduce the Nicholas Green
            Foundation's new video, "A Child's Gift." There will be
            open discussions with Green, a donor family, a recipient
            and donation information centers. The Department also will
            launch the HHS Marrow Drive, a Workplace Partnership for
            Life initiative.

    WHEN/   Wednesday, April 24, 2002        Thursday, April 25, 2002
    WHERE:  8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.           8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
             Information Center Open,         Information Center Open,
             Lobby                            Lobby
            10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.         10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
             Informational Program,           Informational Program,
             Room 506                         Conference Rooms 615A/B
            50 United Nations Plaza         75 Hawthorne Street

    WHY:    --  More than 83,000 Americans are on the national waiting
                list for organs, more than 7,000 of whom are in
                Northern and Central California.
            --  A new name is added to the waiting list every 14
                minutes.
            --  Sixteen people die every day -- one every two hours --
                waiting for organs.
            --  There are 2,402 children younger than 18 years old on
                the waiting list.

*In conjunction with the California Transplant Donor Network (For more information, call 888/570-9400) and Blood Centers of the Pacific (For more information, call the National Marrow Donor Program at 800/526-7809).