Educational Material:
What every patient needs to know: “Talking about transplantation”
Partnering with your Transplant team: The Patient Guide to Transplantation
Q&A about a Change in Kidney Allocation Policy
Web Resources:
UCLA and the United Network for Organ Sharing
Who are UNOS and the OPTN?
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a nonprofit organization that operates the Organ Procurement
and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under a contract from the federal government. The OPTN/UNOS continuously evaluates new advances and research, and uses this new information to improve organ transplant policies to best serve patients waiting for transplantation.
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) provides a toll-free patient services lines to help transplant candidates, recipients, and family members understand organ allocation practices and transplantation data. You may also call this number to discuss problems you may be experiencing with your transplant center or the transplantation system in general. The toll-free patient services line number is 1-888-894-6361.
Additional details about the OPTN/UNOS, allocation policy and patient information resources are available on the following websites:
www.patients.unos.org
www.optn.org
www.unos.org
www.ustransplant.org
Financial Assistance/ Fund Raising
- Help Hope Live
www.helphopelive.org or 1-800-642-8399
Fundraising/ Emergency financial assistance
- National Kidney Foundation
www.kidney.org or 1-800-622-9010
Resources available for kidney patients
- National Foundation for Transplant
www.transplants.org or 1-800-489-3863
Fundraising
- For Free or Low Cost Medications
www.Needymeds.org
- Wise & Healthy Aging
1-855-636-7655
Helping Seniors (50+) save money on medical, medicine, food, and utilities.
- Benefitscheckup.org
- To find benefit programs that can help you pay for medications, health care, food, utilities and more
Insurance Related
- Affordable Care Act (Obama Care)
www.coveredca.com
Maintaining adequate health insurance is crucial to the survival of your transplant. The Affordable Care Act gives people the ability to choose the health plan that offers the best services at the greatest value for you or find out if you qualify for Medi-Cal.
- Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)
www.cahealthadvocates.org/HICAP/ or 1-800-434-0222
Provides health insurance counseling for Medicare and Private Insurance Issues
- HIPP Program
1-800-952-5594
Medi-Cal pays private insurance and Medicare cost if you have no share of cost or share of cost of $200 or less
- Medi-Cal Working Disability Program
Maintaining Medi-cal while collecting disability income and working
Call the benefits planner: 866-426-1132 for a live person who will help you determine which work/disability program is best for you.
Caregiver & Transportation Resources
- In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
dpss.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dpss or 1-888-944-4477
Helps pay for services provided to low-income elderly, blind or disabled individuals, including children, so that they can remain safely in their own home.
- ACCESS Paratransit
accessla.org or 1-800-827-0829
Offers medical transportation services for the disabled. In person appointment required for eligibility
- CityRide
www.ladottransit.com/other/cityride/ or call 323-808-7433
A transportation program for qualified seniors and individuals with disabilities living in the City of Los Angeles and designated areas of Los Angeles County
Other Resources
- Renal Support Network
www.RSNhope.org or (818) 543-0896
Community education events, online newsletters, and weekly webcasts for dialysis and transplant patients
- Renal Support Network HOPEline
1-800-579-1970
To talk to a person who has lived with kidney disease
- Disability 101
www.disabilitybenefits101.org
A goldmine of information on disability, return to work, etc.
