August 21, 2019

Who We Are 


OUI Works is a non-profit organization ,and through our Living Donor and Transplant Recipient  Assistance Programs, provides services to help families defray the spiraling cost of healthcare, particularly those uninsured expenses of the living donor and transplant recipients (e.g. travel and living, etc.). After the Medicare and Medicaid portions of the medical bill are paid and the private insurance allocations are made, frequently the remaining balance is still a major burden for most individuals and families. The cost of healthcare for short and long term illnesses are exorbitant, leaving families on the edge of a financial crisis and making it difficult, if not almost impossible, to make ends meet. When one considers the burden and stress related to covering medical expenses and the desire to have a family member return to optimum health, it can seem quite often insurmountable.

Typically myriad expenses are not covered by the insurance programs and must be borne by living donors or the transplant recipients.  The OUI Works Living Donor and Transplant Recipient  Assistance Programs will work with families to qualify them for assistance by helping in those special cases where we can provide some assistance to help reduce the living donor’s uninsured transportation & living expenses that are incurred at the time of transplant surgery and comparable expenses of the transplant recipient.    We also provide information and guidance that help the donor learn about other resources to meet their needs.  

Additionally, OUI Works  helps to educate the general public about the need for organ donations, the financial burdens associated with treatment and ways to help prevent or slow the progression of chronic kidney disease.  We  promote our messages to the community through support groups and lifestyle management programs, like Team Hope and Lunch and Learn, social media, participation in community fairs and health events, particularly those with a special focus on reaching the socially and ethnically disadvantaged since their risk for kidney failure is higher, but they have a much lower rate of transplantation.  We also disseminate our message through partnerships and alliances.   We are able to work with families, private, public and educational institutions and companies, as well as, other organizations, such as places of worship, that want to know more about kidney transplants and/or desire to donate resources to help in the successful engagement and delivery of services for one of the most charitable gifts  - "the gift of life".  

OUI Works is not offering medical advice.  You should ask your doctor for the relevant tests and information, especially if you are in a high-risk group, which includes African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, people over age 60, and those with high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease, since early detection and treatment can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a transplant to sustain life.  However, we do offer a number of programs that are committed to delivering programs, services and information to high-risk groups, as well as, the general public because chronic kidney disease and organ donation affect everyone, both directly and indirectly.