http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/editorial-saving-lives/article_eb3fe1b7-8bcf-5246-9fa0-e27cbd5ce224.htmlEditorial: Saving lives
Not that long ago references to organ transplants summoned images of Dr. Frankenstein laboring away in his laboratory. To call a transplant routine is to minimize the seriousness of the procedure, yet organ transplants have joined the medical mainstream.
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) deserves much of the credit. The Richmond-based agency is celebrating its 30 th anniversary.
UNOS matches donated organs with patients who need healthy organs to survive. The lifesaving organs are heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas and intestine. For UNOS, 24/7 is not a cliché but a reality. A situation calling for a transplant can arise at any hour, at any day, in any place. UNOS knows what to do.
It manages the national waiting list for transplants. Since 1984, more than 625,000 transplants have occurred in the United States. Every day sees about 79 transplants. The numbers translate into saved lives — and into grateful families.
The Times-Dispatch congratulates UNOS on its success; we applaud its commitment to humane values; we look forward to additional decades of healing.
Topic: Editorial: Saving lives (Read 2763 times)