Gift of Life Michigan is proud of the many Senators and Representatives who work to support organ and tissue donation initiatives.
For nearly twenty years, Congressman Dave Camp has been a champion for organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Washington D.C. Congressman Camp’s staff has worked closely with the Association for Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) offices and the National Kidney Foundation to make sure that the legislation he supports is well written and effective.
On November 9, 2006, Congressman Camp was awarded the Gift of Life Foundation’s Community Service Award. Read his acceptance letter here .
Some of his recent efforts include:
- Congressman Camp was an active supporter of The Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act and he worked within the U.S. House of Representatives to assure the bill’s passage. “Tragically,” he stated, “our nation is suffering from a shortage of organs while the waiting list for an organ transplant continues to grow. This bill will make it easier for prospective donors to give the gift of life.” The law, signed in 2004, provides new resources to increase donation, including financial support of living donors, expanding states’ public education and outreach efforts, and awarding grants to coordinate activities of hospitals and organ procurement organizations.
- The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act was sponsored by Congressman Camp in 2005 and the bill would provide education and support of patients entering end stage renal disease.
- The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act was also introduced last year. Transplant recipients, who are neither Medicare aged nor disabled, receive their immunosuppressive drugs under Medicare Part B for only three years post-transplant. Congressman Camp’s bill would extend drug coverage for these patients. “While Medicare will pay for another expensive transplant or costly dialysis, it makes far better sense to extend Medicare coverage for the anti-rejection medication,” he stated during the bill’s introduction. Gift of Life Michigan has actively supported this bill.
Congressman Camp’s Gift of Life Foundation Community Service Award.
