FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 11, 2000

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelley Elwood, 312/580-6497

Illinois Medical Society Supports Organ Transplant Fairness

Chicago - The Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) is in favor of The Organ Transplant Fairness Act of 2000, introduced today in Washington by Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-IL). We commend Senator Fitzgerald for introducing this bill and we thank Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) for his support.

"ISMS supports this crucial change in legislation to bring the patient to the forefront of the organ allocation debate," says ISMS President Clair M. Callan, M.D. "Senator Fitzgerald’s bill brings a balance between the need to treat the sickest patients and the desire to keep donated organs within a service area. This bill is in the best interest of the patient and that has to come first."

If passed, the Organ Transplant Fairness Act of 2000 would ensure that whenever appropriate, patients with the greatest medical need would be given priority to receive donated organs over less urgent patients. In addition, the bill would diminish the influence of geography as a determinant. By allocating donated organs over a larger geographic area, patients with similar medical conditions would have a similar chance of receiving a transplant.

ISMS supports this bill because it would replace the organ allocation system’s existing geographic restrictions with a framework that will put the sickest patients first and allow for a broader sharing of donated organs.

ISMS is a professional membership organization representing 16,000 physicians, practicing in all specialties statewide.

ISMS permits and encourages reproduction of ISMS news releases with the request that ISMS is credited as the source of the information.