New York State Department of Health Launches New Campaign Highlighting State’s Living Donor Support Program

Living Donor Support Program Helps Eligible Living Donors with Expenses Associated with Donation

Campaign Includes Ads Appearing on Social Media and Outdoor Digital Kiosks

ALBANY, N.Y. (February 18, 2026) - The New York State Department of Health is launching a new media campaign to spread the word about the state's new Living Donor Support Program. The program provides financial reimbursement for eligible expenses that are often not paid for by insurance or other resources.

"Organ donation is a selfless act of love that offers another person in need a second chance at life," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Becoming a living donor is safe and often those who receive a living donation have better health outcomes and reduced risk of rejection. There are far too many people waiting for a lifesaving transplant; financial expenses should not be the barrier that stops a person from choosing to help another in this way."

The public campaign includes ads that will appear on social media, outdoor digital kiosks and online search engines statewide to raise awareness about the program.

Living donation is when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ, often a kidney or part of the liver, to someone in need. The Department of Health created the program to reduce the expenses living donors acquire during their living donation process. The program can reimburse up to $14,000 for expenses that a potential living donor might acquire as part of the living donation process of evaluation, surgery, and follow-up visits. Both the living donor and the ultimate intended recipient of their living donation must be residents of New York State. Living donor expenses eligible for reimbursement under the program include travel expenses, lost wages, support person, dependent care expenses and certain unreimbursed medical costs.

There's a great need for organ donors in New York State. Approximately 8,000 New Yorkers are living with organ failure and are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. In 2025, approximately 644 people were removed from the waiting lists of New York State transplant centers because they died or became too sick to transplant before an organ became available for them. 

The Living Donor Support Program removes certain significant financial barriers that may prevent people from making the selfless decision to make a living donation and give the gift of life.

More information about the program can be found here and questions can be sent to LivingDonor@health.ny.gov.

More information on how to become a living donor can be found here.

Details on organ donation and transplantation in New York State can be found here.