[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E15]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ORGAN DONATION REFERRAL IMPROVEMENT 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JENNIFER L. McCLELLAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 9, 2025

  Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my thoughts on how 
we can improve and expedite the organ donation referral process.
  I am proud to co-lead the bipartisan Organ Donation Referral 
Improvement Act with Representative Wittman. The critical legislation 
will help us understand how the broad adoption of automated electronic 
organ donor referrals in health systems could help more Americans 
receive the gift of life.
  There are over 100,000 Americans in need of a lifesaving organ 
transplant. To reduce that number and save more lives, we must improve 
and modernize the organ transplant process. Modernizing the standard 
practice--manually notifying organ procurement of potential deceased 
donors--with an automatic electronic system could lift the reporting 
burden from busy hospital staff, reduce the risk of human error, and 
ensure every potential organ donor is referred. This bill directs the 
Department of Health and Human Services to study the potential for 
automated electronic donor referrals, reducing the barriers to 
successful organ transplantation and ultimately saving lives.
  The Organ Donation Referral Improvement Act will support the 
lifesaving mission of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) 
located in the historic Jackson Ward in the Fourth District of 
Virginia. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to 
advance this legislation.