Health Beat: U.S. organ transplants exceed 30,000 annually for first time

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U.S. ORGAN TRANSPLANTS EXCEED 30,000 ANNUALLY FOR FIRST TIME, ADVOCACY GROUP SAYS: Organ transplants performed in the U.S. in 2015 exceeded 30,000 for the first time annually, preliminary data from United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) shows. UNOS is the non-profit organization that manages the nation’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under federal contract.

The 30,000 threshold was surpassed with transplants performed as of Dec. 19, 2015. For the year, 30,973 transplants were reported, representing an increase of nearly 4.9% over 2014 and continuing a three-year trend of annual record numbers. Approximately 81% of the transplants (24,982) involved organs from deceased donors, who can donate multiple organs. Nineteen percent (5,986) were made possible by living donors. To date, there are 121,673 needing organ transplants in the U.S., with 78, 159 on the active waiting list. To learn more, click here.

HISTORIC GAINS IN HEALTH COVERAGE FOR HISPANIC CHILDREN IN FIRST YEAR OF OBAMACARE: The Affordable Care Act has dramatically increased the pace at which the uninsured rate is falling for Hispanic children. Yet Hispanic children are more likely to be uninsured than other children, making them vulnerable to going without health care and leaving their families exposed to financial risk, according to a new report by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute and National council of La Raza. Given the high rates of un-insurance among Hispanic children, policymakers, program administrators, and other stakeholders the report says efforts should continue to maximize health coverage for Hispanic children and remove barriers to enrollment. To see the full report, click here.

TAB FOR WORKPLACE INJURIES EXCEEDED $62 BILLION, OVEREXERTION TOP CAUSE: Workplace injuries and accidents that cause employees to miss six or more days of work cost U.S. employers nearly $62 billion in 2013, the most recent year for which statistically valid injury data is available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Academy of Social Insurance, according to the 2016 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index.

Overexertion involving outside sources ranked first among the leading causes of disabling injury. This event category, which includes injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing objects, cost businesses $15 billion in direct costs and accounted for nearly a quarter of the overall national burden. The 10 leading causes of the most disabling work-related injuries account for more than $51 billion, or 82.5% of the total cost of $62 billion.