UNOS and the OPTN: Getting Involved in the Public Comment Process
Under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA),the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) coordinates the nation’s organ transplant system, providing vital services to meet the needs of men, women and children awaiting lifesaving organ transplants. This nationwide system is called the Organ Procurement and
Transplantation Network (OPTN). UNOS, acting as the OPTN contractor, unites transplant professionals and organ procurement specialists throughout the nation to match transplant candidates with the organs they need.
The field of organ transplantation depends on the cooperation of many people and organizations, and it is vital to ensure the opinions of all interested parties are heard and addressed. Therefore, the OPTN strives to achieve consensus in the development of policies that determine how organs are allocated throughout the nation. Committees within the OPTN review transplant data and issues and periodically may draft a new or revised policy to address a particular issue. Before going to the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors for a vote, UNOS publishes all substantial policy proposals for public comment
by other committees, OPTN/UNOS regions and interested persons or organizations. The sponsoring committee will consider all comments received before it makes a final recommendation to the board. The board then considers policy proposals in light of the input received.
Final decisions about policy proposals are published on the OPTN and UNOS sites. A policy notice detailing all board-approved policy changes is sent to OPTN/UNOS members and other interested parties approximately 30 days after the board meeting. This notice includes all implementation dates that are available at time of publication.
Input from transplant candidates–the people most affected by new or revised policy–is an important part of the public comment process. The OPTN strongly encourages all interested individuals–especially transplant candidates–to express their views on policy proposals by getting involved in the public comment process.
You can view proposals that go out for public comment several ways. You can visit the OPTN and UNOS web sites directly at
www.optn.org or
www.unos.org, or you can send an e-mail to
publiccomment@unos.org and sign up to receive e-mail notification of the document. If you are unable to access the Internet, you can receive a paper copy of the document by calling or faxing a request
to the UNOS public comment coordinator. You may also submit a written request to UNOS.
For more information, please contact:
Public Comment Coordinator
United Network for Organ Sharing
700 North 4th Street
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804)782-4877
Fax: (804) 782-4896
E-mail:
publiccomment@unos.orgSpecific questions about policy proposals can be answered by the UNOS Regional Administrator for your area. Please consult the listing below to determine your regional contact person.
Shannon Edwards (
edwardsf@unos.org)
Region 1-Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Eastern Vermont
Region 4 -Oklahoma, Texas
Region 9-New York, Western Vermont
Betsy Gans (
gansel@unos.org)
Region 2-Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, West Virginia
Region 6-Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Region 8-Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming
Clifton McClenney (
mcclence@unos.org)
Region 3-Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Puerto Rico
Region 11-Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia
Chrystal Oley-Graybill (
graybioe@unos.org)
Region 5-Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah
Region 7-Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Wisconsin
Region10-Indiana, Michigan, Ohio
