Today the National Kidney Registry announced the activation of its 2,000th patient microsite. The microsite program provides free websites and coaching to transplant patients seeking a living donor.
The theory behind the microsite program is that if a patient can direct potential donors to a website that effectively tells their story, they will connect with more potential donors and increase their chances of achieving a living donor transplant.
“For kidney patients in need of a transplant, finding a living donor is the best possible option,” said Jennifer Verbesey, MD, director of the living donor kidney transplant program at the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute. “This is why we are so pleased with the record turnout and response from our recent champion microsite Zoom session. We had over 150 patients in attendance, over 50 new microsites created and the most interactive audience to date from one event.”
The microsite program was launched in February 2019 and has now achieved a 20% success rate, with 127 microsite patients receiving a living donor transplant in 2022.
“Microsites are a crucial tool for people seeking a living kidney or liver donor,” said Samantha Hil, a living kidney donor transplant recipient and the NKR’s Microsite Project Manager. “When you need a donor, telling your story to as many people as possible is the only way to have success. Having a microsite gives patients a way to tell their story, using personal anecdotes and photos, and share it to thousands of people using their unique web address and free business cards.”
The microsite program is offered at 43 NKR Member Centers around the country and is supported by six donor search coaches who are available to all patients who activate a microsite. Donor search coaches are experts at running successful donor search campaigns, either for themselves or someone else.
“Microsites continue to be one of the most effective ways of finding a living donor,” said Eusebio (EJ) Tamez, the NKR’s Head Microsite Coach. “An experienced donor search coach is assigned to each potential recipient, who helps them write a personalized story and guides them through the donor search process. We are thrilled to offer coaching services in both English and Spanish for kidney or liver patients.”