April Marks Donate Life Month: Here's How Employers Can Help

April is recognized nationwide as Donate Life Month, a time to raise awareness about the critical need for organ donation and transplantation. In light of this, the American Society of Transplantation (AST), headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, is calling upon employers to prioritize the support of living organ donation by implementing paid leave policies for employees who become living organ donors.

With over 100,000 individuals currently awaiting life-saving organ transplants across the United States and 16 people dying each day while on the waiting list, the need for action is urgent. Paid leave policies play a crucial role in making living organ donation more accessible and feasible for potential donors.

The AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence program is at the forefront of this initiative, providing a platform for employers to showcase their commitment to supporting living organ donation through paid leave offerings. This esteemed program, which is free for employers to join, serves as a recognition mechanism for companies that prioritize the well-being of their employees and the broader community.

Currently, the Living Donor Circle of Excellence has 167 participating companies, collectively covering 2.5 million employees. These companies stand as shining examples of corporate responsibility and compassion, setting a precedent for others to follow suit in supporting this life-saving cause.

As Donate Life Month unfolds, the AST urges employers across New Jersey and beyond to consider the profound impact they can make by implementing paid leave policies for living organ donation. Together, we can transform lives and offer hope to those awaiting the precious gift of organ transplantation.

The AST doesn't just walk the walk, in 2023 our own Transplant Community Program Manager, Brooke Iarkowski, became a non-directed living kidney donor utilizing the Circle of Excellence Leave program.

"Organ donation and transplantation are extremely personal to me. I watched my dad give my mom the gift of life through living donation nearly 15 years ago. I knew the minute I watched my mom come out of surgery and see the immediate changes in her health that I wanted to be able to do that for someone one day. I am so thankful AST supported me emotionally and financially through this process of donating a kidney. It allowed me to heal without the concern of a missing paycheck. I don't know if I would have been able to give this gift without that support."

For more information on the American Society of Transplantation and the Living Donor Circle of Excellence program, please visit LivingDonorCircle.com.