May 5, 2006

The Honorable Rod Blagojevich
Statehouse, Room 207
Springfield, Illinois 62706

Dear Governor Blagojevich:

The 14,000 physician members of the Illinois State Medical Society strongly urge you to sign House Bill 5259 into law. This proposal to enhance Illinois’ organ donation program received strong bi-partisan support and will dramatically reduce the shortage of organs available for transplant.

A great deal of effort has been spent on expanding current programs for obtaining organs from donors who, with their family members, consider and approve organ donations prior to the termination of life support. Although these efforts have achieved success in many areas, the overall shortage of organs needed for transplant remains severe. Thousands of Illinois patients are waiting for a transplant. It is estimated that the wait for a kidney from a deceased donor is eight years.

House Bill 5259 would have an enormous impact on the shortage of organs available for transplant. The proposal allows for organ preservation procedures to be initiated with victims of fatal traumas or unexpected deaths. Decedents in these cases may not have registered as a donor, but have families who may choose to donate their loved one’s organs so that others might live.

The procedures set forth in House Bill 5259 will allow for preservation of a decedent’s organs while the organ procurement agency locates the decedent’s family for consent. All costs associated with the preservation procedures would be paid for by the organ procurement agency. The procedure is minimally invasive and is not disfiguring.

It is estimated that that the potential to increase the number of organs is enormous. Organs are only viable for a short period of time – less than an hour. Existing preservation techniques, which entail inserting a small catheter into the decedent to administer fluid to the organs, can preserve organs until such time as the decedent’s family can either consent to or deny an organ donation.

Currently, there are approximately 4,600 Illinois residents waiting for an organ transplant. An average of 18 people die every day waiting for an organ. This proposal, which is supported by the Illinois Secretary of State, The Gift of Hope & Tissue Donor Network and The Kidney Foundation of Illinois, will have a real impact on the shortage of organs available for transplant, which will save hundreds, if not thousands of lives a year.

By signing this legislation into law, you could help save thousands of lives every year. For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to sign House Bill 5259 into law.

Sincerely,
William E. Kobler, M.D.
Chair, Board of Trustees
Illinois State Medical Society

Twenty North Michigan Avenue, Suite 700 Chicago, Illinois 60602 Telephone: 312-782-1654 Toll Free: 800-782-ISMS Fax: 312-782-2028