§ 274f–1 — Public Awareness; Studies And Demonstrations

(a) The Secretary shall, directly or through grants or contracts, establish a public education program in cooperation with existing national public awareness campaigns to increase awareness about organ donation and the need to provide for an adequate rate of such donations. (b) The Secretary may make peer-reviewed grants to, or enter into peer-reviewed contracts with, public and nonprofit private entities for the purpose of carrying out studies and demonstration projects to increase organ donation and recovery rates, including living donation. (1) The Secretary may make grants to States for the purpose of assisting States in carrying out organ donor awareness, public education, and outreach activities and programs designed to increase the number of organ donors within the State, including living donors. (2) To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, a State shall— (A) submit an application to the Department in the form prescribed; (B) establish yearly benchmarks for improvement in organ donation rates in the State; and (C) report to the Secretary on an annual basis a description and assessment of the State’s use of funds received under this subsection, accompanied by an assessment of initiatives for potential replication in other States. (3) Funds received under this subsection may be used by the State, or in partnership with other public agencies or private sector institutions, for education and awareness efforts, information dissemination, activities pertaining to the State donor registry, and other innovative donation specific initiatives, including living donation. (d) The Secretary, in coordination with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and other appropriate organizations, shall support the development and dissemination of educational materials to inform health care professionals and other appropriate professionals in issues surrounding organ, tissue, and eye donation including evidence-based proven methods to approach patients and their families, cultural sensitivities, and other relevant issues. (e) For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009. Such authorization of appropriations is in addition to any other authorizations of appropriations that are available for such purpose.