TRIO National 
Member E-News  
August 2019
Fun &  important news for your Summer enjoyment:

"We wish you a . . .
dog_hammock.jpg
  . . . fun and safe Summer of  . . . 
laughing-eating-family.jpg
  . . . good times and laughter with
family and friends . . ." 
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"Thanks so much, Katherine!" 
Katherine's 'It takes a village' campaign supporting TRIO  
still can use your help  
with a donation and/or by
sharing her appeal with your own family and network
 to date she's raised an impressive
$5,846 !!    
 
You can still contribute by  
going to Katherine Egan's GoFundMe campaign  
pushing her over the $6,000 mark
while helping TRIO!
 
Click on image to see full story
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Also a special 'SHOUT OUT' to many others
who have raised another $3,000 with their own  
Facebook fundraising events
celebrating special life moments/anniversaries/birthdays
by inviting their friends to donate to TRIO  
on their Facebook page
 
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TRIO PTC (Post-transplant Cancer) project progress 
  (click on http://TRIOwebPTC.org to see latest updates)
Announcing funding success!! 
With recent supporting donations and grants of  
$7,500, $25,000 and another $25,000 pending,  
we are closing in on this project's  
Phase 1 overall budget of $76k.
 
If you know of a company, organization or individual who can help us save the lives of transplant recipients with funds to support  
this innovative and unique cancer risk patient education resource,
please reach out to Sylvia in our office by calling:
800-TRIO-386 (800-874-6386) or
e-mail: info@trioweb.org   
****************************************************   
 
TRIO president
            GleasonJim@aol.com
(609) 877-4493
Celebrating my 25th year with a VERY successful heart transplant
thanks to Roberto Cuebas,
my heart donor:
    
"TRIO thanks CareDx for their years of supporting TRIO
both locally and at the national level
and
for their pioneering work for the transplant patient"

. . . and see their sponsorship for the 'Honor the Gift' campaign in the later article below . . .

Click above to learn more . . .

UNOS launches new branding,
changing their Mission, Vision and tagline

You can click below to see it here first in this screen saver video:

   
 
TRIO members encouraged to voice their comments . . .
 
 
 
The UNOS/OPTN policy development process incorporates feedback on policy and bylaws proposals, before the proposals go to the OPTN board of directors for approval. Public comment is an essential part of the policy development process.  
 
In a recent UNOS e-mail to TRIO:
"The OPTN is seeking feedback on initiatives impacting organ donation and transplantation in the U.S. The public comment period for the proposals below will be open from August 2, 2019 to October 2, 2019. I am reaching out to you in your capacity with the Transplant Recipients International Organization. Please invite members to review the proposals and submit your approval/support, disapproval/lack of support, or suggestions on the OPTN website (https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/governance/public-comment/)." (or you can just click on the image above) 
 
All interested individuals are welcome to participate, especially transplant candidates, who are most affected by policies. The OPTN welcomes public comment on all open policy proposals. We consider every comment we receive about a proposal before the OPTN board of directors votes on it. We are especially interested in hearing from transplant professionals about any significant financial impact a proposal could have on their organization. Feel free to include this information when you provide your feedback.   
 
Note: To encourage public participation and promote transparency, their website publishes submitted comments.   
 
 
Of specific interest: National Webinars
UNOS/OPTN offers national webinars to review public comment proposals and one that might be of particular patient interest will be held on . . .
Important: Once registered for a webinar, you will receive a confirmation email with webinar and teleconference information. Please note that the link you receive is valid for ONE entry into the webinar. Following each webinar, links to webinar presentations will be accessible on the OPTN website.
 
Note: TRIO is an elected member of the OPTN and votes/comments as a voting member  on your behalf on these issues too.  
 

Have you checked it out yet?
TRIO Transplant Presentation Library's
new user friendly interface . . .

even a downloadable index
all with live links to 100+ topics
(new topics added monthly)



click above to view the whole program

For more, link to the full library here
"Have YOU signed up yet?"
 
TRIO is a supporting member of the
Honor the Gift Coalition working to    
Reject Coverage Limits on Kidney Transplant Care 
 
 
 
Medicare's 3-year coverage limit on immunosuppressive medications costs transplant patients their lives and Medicare millions.     
 
There has been tremendous momentum for extending immunosuppressive coverage for kidney transplant patients over the last several months. We believe this could be the year that the legislation is finally passed once and for all.  
 
 Once the bill is introduced, we'll reach out to let you know how you can contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the legislation and #HonorTheGift of kidney donation.
 
 Stay tuned for more information,  
BUT in the meanwhile:
 
Learn more and sign the pledge (<-- click here for more details) 
Stay Connected with TRIO on-line at http://TRIOweb.org or http://TRIOwebPTC.org and: