Minority Organ Donations Insufficient to Meet Transplant Need

Minorities only account for only 25% of all organ donors, which reduces the likelihood of a match 

Minorities make up about half of all people on transplant waiting lists, according to National Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program, a Washington-based education and advocacy group.

"In minority communities, there is a high risk of diabetes, hypertension and certain genetic disorders that often cause people to need transplants. But there is strong resistance to being an organ donor -  for a number of reasons," said Lisa Upsher, program director of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, or CORE, which will sponsor a conference on Sept. 15 about minority transplants.

Read more: Minority organ donations insufficient to meet transplant need - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review