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The Development of the Alabama Organ Center

Soon after organ transplantation began in Alabama in 1968, the need for transplantable organs quickly exceeded the supply.  In those days, no systematic approach to procurement had been established. Barriers that kept health care professionals from suggesting donation included a lack of knowledge about donor criteria and procedures, a dislike of discussing the matter of donation with grieving families, lack of time, and concern about legal aspects.      Since those beginnings, many barriers have been removed, but unfortunately, some obstacles still remain. Uniform criteria for establishing death have been developed, and laws have been passed that require hospitals to offer the option of organ/tissue donation to families at the time of their loved one's death.      Organ procurement organizations have been created to educate and promote organ and tissue donation.  Established in 1979 as the "Alabama Organ Bank", the independent organ procurement organization (OPO) has since been renamed the Alabama Organ Center (AOC) and has grown to serve all hospitals in the state.  The AOC is the approved OPO for Alabama.      Since its founding, the AOC has provided more than 4000 kidneys for transplantation, as well as hundreds of other transplantable organs such as hearts, heart-lungs, lungs, livers and pancreas.  This procurement center played a key role in establishing the University of Alabama at Birmingham as the largest kidney transplant program nationally for eight of the past nine years.  The AOC is approved by the Health Care Financing Administration, UNOS, (United Network for Organ Sharing), and the Medicare program for reimbursement.      Unfortunately, some patients are dying because suitable organs cannot be found in time. Others are suffering a severely restricted lifestyle because they require dialysis, which is less cost effective than kidney transplantation. If every suitable organ were donated there would be no waiting lists.      Many health care professionals do not realize that we can train them how to offer families the option of organ/tissue donation..... or that we can do the asking for them.  Many do not take the time or do not realize the patient may be a suitable donor.

If you have any questions about organ and tissue donation, please call us at 1-800-252-3677 or click on the E-mail address below and send in you requests.