How Donation Works — Southwest Transplant Alliance

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 How Donation Works

 
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The Donation Process

More than 100,000 men, women and children in the United States, including more than 10,000 in Texas, need an organ transplant to live. In 2023, more than 46,000 organ transplants were performed in the United States, more than in any previous year.

While the number of registered donors is steadily growing, we need more people to register — because the need still far outweighs the number of transplants available each year.

  • Every 9 minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list

  • On average, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant

 
 
 

Resources


  • Download the STA Donation Process Guide (PDF)

  • Frequently Asked Questions About Donation (LINK)

  • Learn more about how registration works in Texas (LINK)

  • Read the stories of hope from those impacted by donation.

 

 

STA supports the gift of life through every step of the process.

Southwest Transplant Alliance fulfills the gift of life by recovering donated organs and tissues and coordinating the allocation to transplant recipients.

 
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The power of one YES can impact countless lives.

STA’s Role

Southwest Transplant Alliance is one of 56 federally-designated nonprofit organizations tasked with facilitating donation within a designated service area. STA is notified when a hospital in our service area identifies a potential donor. The STA team then searches the state registry to determine if the potential donor is registered and evaluates the potential for donation for that patient.

If the potential donor is registered, the family is notified and the donation process can begin. If the potential donor is not registered, the STA Family Care team supports the donor family and consults them regarding possible donation.

STA then manages, alongside the recovery surgeons, the process of recovering and transporting organs and tissue to recipients in need of lifesaving transplants.

Determining who gets a transplant

STA is responsible for donor care, family support, and organ/tissue recovery. When our teams have obtained authorization and determined what gifts can be donated, a national database produces a list of potential recipients in order of priority.

STA then sends offers to the corresponding transplant centers for those patients. Their teams work with patients to decide whether to accept an offer. STA does not decide who gets a transplant, and the order of the list is determined by medical factor match, location, and severity of need.


 
 
 

Living Donation

Thousands of transplants each year are made possible by living donors.

Living donors can donate an entire kidney or a portion of their liver or lung. In rare cases, living donors can donate a portion of their pancreas or intestine.

While STA does not facilitate living donation, those interested can learn more by contacting a transplant program in their area. Learn More >>

Rebekah and Bob Barbour of Dallas celebrate more time together after a kidney transplant saved Bob’s life. Rebekah donated her own kidney to Bob through a living transplant program in 2017.

Rebekah and Bob Barbour of Dallas celebrate more time together after a kidney transplant saved Bob’s life. Rebekah donated her own kidney to Bob through a living transplant program in 2017.

 
 
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Facts About Donation

More questions about donation? Contact us.