(Sentinel Staff) Officials at the United States Department of Health and Human Services said last month they will seek to amend the organ transplant model to prioritize people of certain racial identities.
The proposed organ model “aims to increase access to kidney transplants for all people living with end-stage renal disease” as well as “reduce disparities among individuals undergoing the process to receive a kidney transplant.” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra specifically mentioned assisting black patients in a press release about the program.
“The organ transplant industry, like every other part of society, is not immune to racial inequities,” Becerra asserted. “Black Americans disproportionately struggle with life-threatening kidney disease, yet they receive a smaller percentage of kidney transplants.”