U.S. to shut a Kentucky organ donation group over safety concerns

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced plans to shut down a Kentucky organ donation group accused of moving forward with organ retrieval from patients who unexpectedly showed signs of life.

Although these surgeries were ultimately canceled, the incidents drew national attention several years ago, leading to a surge in individuals across the country revoking their organ donor registrations.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the nonprofit Network for Hope, labeling it “a bad apple” and accusing it of “persistent safety failures.” He announced that the government is initiating the process to decertify the organization.

Network for Hope is one of approximately 55 organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, responsible for coordinating the recovery of organs from deceased donors and matching them to patients on the national transplant list. In response, Network for Hope stated it “strongly disagrees” with Kennedy’s decision and intends to appeal.

One of the allegations involves a 2021 incident where the predecessor of Network for Hope allegedly pressured a local hospital to proceed with withdrawing life support and retrieving organs from a man, despite indications he was recovering from a drug overdose. The man survived, and his sister publicly thanked Kennedy at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Organ procurement organizations do not have the authority to declare a person dead; only a doctor at the treating hospital can make such a declaration. Once that declaration is made, a donor agency can take responsibility for the deceased, identify potential recipients, and schedule surgeons for organ retrieval. Most organ donations come from individuals declared brain-dead. However, in cases where a patient has a nonsurvivable injury and the family chooses to withdraw life support, donation may still be possible.

In its statement, Network for Hope asserted compliance with all federal organ policies. The organization noted that over a year ago, it introduced a “first-of-its-kind” safeguard allowing anyone, including health professionals or family members, to pause donation planning if there is concern about the suitability of the patient.

Kentucky has recently enacted a law requiring this pause, and the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network is developing new rules mandating all OPOs nationwide to adopt it.

Currently, more than 100,000 individuals are waiting for transplants in the U.S., with the majority seeking a kidney. Thousands of these patients will die waiting for a suitable organ. Last year, there were over 49,000 transplants, marking a record despite a slight decline in donations from deceased donors — the first such decrease in a decade.

— Lauran Neergaard