[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20211-20212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08077]



[[Page 20209]]

Vol. 81

Wednesday,

No. 66

April 6, 2016

Part V





The President





-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Proclamation 9415--National Donate Life Month, 2016



Proclamation 9416--National Public Health Week, 2016



Proclamation 9417--National Autism Awareness Day, 2016



Notice of April 4, 2016--Continuation of the National Emergency With 
Respect to Somalia
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 66 / Wednesday, April 6, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 20211]]

                Proclamation 9415 of April 1, 2016

                
National Donate Life Month, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                By becoming an organ donor, one person can save the 
                lives of up to eight people and improve the lives of 
                dozens--mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, 
                brothers and sisters--who are desperately in need of a 
                transplant. During National Donate Life Month, we lift 
                up the thousands of selfless individuals across America 
                who are living or registered organ donors. And as we 
                honor those who have saved lives in the past by 
                donating organs, we recommit to supporting the 
                researchers, innovators, advocates, and medical 
                professionals working to reduce the number of people 
                awaiting vital organ transplants.

                A rising demand for organs exists without enough organs 
                to meet it, making the urgency for those willing and 
                able to donate even more critical and the need for 
                innovation and support even more imperative. My 
                Administration has striven to support donors and 
                recipients and to expand the availability of organs for 
                transplant. In 2010, the Department of Health and Human 
                Services (HHS), building on efforts within the 
                transplant community, launched a nationwide kidney 
                exchange program to bring together pairs of kidney 
                donors and recipients in an effort to increase the 
                quality and quantity of kidney transplants. HHS has 
                also made more financial support available to low-
                income living donors to help cover expenses like travel 
                and lodging costs that are often incurred throughout 
                the donation process. The Affordable Care Act offers 
                greater security to living donors by prohibiting 
                insurers from denying health coverage to someone with a 
                preexisting condition--donating an organ may have 
                previously been considered a preexisting condition and 
                prevented individuals from obtaining the care they 
                deserved after selflessly giving an organ to someone in 
                need. And in 2013, I signed the bipartisan HOPE Act, 
                paving the way for the first transplants in the United 
                States between HIV-positive donors and recipients--and 
                the first of these life-saving transplants took place 
                earlier this year.

                Anyone can indicate their desire to be a donor, 
                regardless of age or medical history, and I encourage 
                all Americans to consult their family members and 
                communicate their choice. More information on donation 
                and opportunities to register can be found by visiting 
                www.OrganDonor.gov.

                Through Medicare, the Federal Government spends nearly 
                $35 billion each year to care for the more than half a 
                million patients with end-stage kidney failure in the 
                United States. Increasing accessibility to organs can 
                save lives while helping to defray overall healthcare 
                costs. As we work to get more people off of the waiting 
                list and into the operating room for a transplant, we 
                are continuing to invest in researching new and 
                innovative ways to address this critical issue. Over 
                the span of three recent years, we invested nearly $3 
                billion into regenerative medicine research, and we are 
                making great strides in advancing treatment and 
                improving technological capabilities. Additionally, we 
                have opened new doors of collaboration with businesses, 
                universities, and foundations to progress our 
                prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious 
                diseases. Our Nation has taken bold steps in recent 
                years, and we will continue working to reduce the organ 
                waiting list by

[[Page 20212]]

                building on our efforts to utilize regeneration and 
                other methods for ensuring a balance between the supply 
                and demand of vital organs.

                Last year, the United States exceeded 30,000 annual 
                organ transplants for the first time. Progress has been 
                made and great promise exists, but much work remains to 
                help the more than 120,000 Americans on the organ 
                waiting list. This month, let us remember those we have 
                lost and provide support to all who continue to wait 
                and hope. Across government, industry, academia, 
                private organizations, and the medical and 
                philanthropic communities, we must all do our part to 
                lift up donors, donor families, and patients by 
                supporting efforts to shorten the organ waiting list. 
                Together, we can improve and save lives by celebrating 
                those who give of themselves--whether as living donors 
                or as registered donors--to provide the greatest gift 
                there is to offer.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 2016 as 
                National Donate Life Month. I call upon health care 
                professionals, volunteers, educators, government 
                agencies, faith-based and community groups, and private 
                organizations to join forces to boost the number of 
                organ, eye, and tissue donors throughout our Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-08077
Filed 4-5-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P