The very energetic Elaine Perlman and her team have been having great success in their efforts to pass the End Kidney Deaths Act!  Here is her latest report.

🔥 We have reached 60 House cosponsors! 🔥
I have been told that the more cosponsors we get, the faster we reach the finish line We are moving onward and upward! 🚀

This week, we had our Virtual Lobby Days. 🙌
We met with Representatives McDowell, Thompson, Mast, Barr, Diaz-Balart, Max Miller, Landsman, Ezell, Tiffany, Knott, Harrigan, Kelly, and Liccardo, as well as Senators Warnock and Hawley 🇺🇸

👏 Thank you to everyone who participated! Your voices are making a difference 💪

🩺 More big news!
Rep. Van Drew, MD is now a cosponsor!
That makes two physician Members of Congress supporting the End Kidney Deaths Act. Rep. McCormick, MD is also a cosponsor. 👏

Medical voices matter, and this is solid momentum 📈

🌺 Breaking news from Hawaii!
State leaders have passed a resolution:
👉 “Urging the United States Congress to pass H.R. 2687, the End Kidney Deaths Act.”

This is a major step forward 🌊
I’ve reached out to the Hawaii congressional delegation urging them to become bill champions 💥

📍 What’s next?
In the coming weeks, I will be activating connections in state legislature to encourage them to pass a resolution in:

·       Georgia 🍑

·       Colorado ⛰️

·       New York 🗽

·       Pennsylvania 🏛️

👉 If you have connections in these or other states, please let me know so we can work together! 🤝

✍️ Action Step:
Please ask your community to sign our petition and spread the word 📣
Every voice matters

📅 Next Monthly Meeting:
🗓 Tuesday, April 7
⏰ 5–6 PM ET
🔗 Zoom link

Finally, it would be very nice if we had someone, preferably from New York State, to monitor the use of New York State’s very generous  Living Donor Support Program:

The NYS Living Donor Support Program (LDSP) provides financial reimbursement to New York State residents who donate an organ to another resident. The New York State Department of Health created this program to increase living donation by reducing the expenses living donors acquired during the process. These expenses are often not paid for by insurance or other sources.

The Program can reimburse up to $14,000 for expenses that a potential living donor might acquire as part of the living donation process of evaluation, surgery, and follow-up visits. The program can help pay for:

·       Travel: Transportation, food, and lodging

·       Lost wages: Wages that would have been earned if you had not missed work during the donation process

·       Dependent care: Money that a living donor might spend on care for children, children with a disability, a dependent adult, or an elderly person due to the living donation process

·       Medicines or medical care associated with the living donation process that are not covered by health insurance or other sources

·       Support person who accompanies the living donor to appointments and/or surgery

Cordially,

Frank