42 U.S.C. § 274f–1 — Public awareness; studies and demonstrations

(a) Organ donation public awareness program: The Secretary must set up a public education program — directly, or through grants or contracts, working with existing national awareness campaigns — to raise awareness about organ donation and the need for enough of it. (b) Studies and demonstrations: The Secretary may make peer-reviewed grants or contracts to public and nonprofit private entities, to carry out studies and demonstration projects that raise organ donation and recovery rates, including living donation. (c) Grants to States: (1) The Secretary may make grants to states to help them run organ donor awareness, public education, and outreach programs meant to increase the number of donors, including living donors. (2) To qualify, a state must apply in the required form, set yearly benchmarks for improving its donation rate, and report annually on how it used the grant money, along with an assessment of which of its efforts could be replicated in other states. (3) States can use the funds themselves, or with other public agencies or private institutions, for education, awareness, information sharing, state donor-registry activities, and other innovative donation initiatives, including living donation. (d) Educational activities: The Secretary, working with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and other appropriate groups, must support developing and sharing educational materials. These materials teach health care and other professionals about organ, tissue, and eye donation — including proven, evidence-based ways to approach patients and families, cultural sensitivities, and other relevant issues. (e) Authorization of appropriations: $15,000,000 is authorized for fiscal year 2005, and whatever sums are necessary for fiscal years 2006 through 2009. This funding is on top of any other funding already available for the same purpose.