US Moves to Shut a Kentucky Organ Donation Group, Citing Safety Failures
Federal reviews found 73 cases with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation and said more than 3,000 transplant patients could be affected.
- On Wednesday, Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced HHS is decertifying Network for Hope, a Kentucky organ procurement organization, citing "persistent patient safety failures" and calling it a "bad apple."
- Federal investigations centered on the 2021 case of TJ Hoover, who showed signs of life while being prepared for organ surgery, prompting scrutiny of the organization's safety standards.
- Reviews by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration found repeated failures in clinical judgment, oversight, and patient safety despite corrective action plans and multiple warnings.
- Network for Hope said it "strongly disagrees" with Kennedy's decision and will appeal, though officials warn the decertification could negatively impact more than 3,000 patients awaiting organ transplants.
- Kentucky recently mandated a "pause in procedure" safety law allowing staff to halt organ donation if concerns arise, while the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network is developing national rules requiring similar safeguards nationwide.
102 Articles
102 Articles
Kennedy Decertifies Organ Group After Patient Safety Concerns
The US Department of Health and Human Services has decertified an organ procurement organization after it was revealed that some patients had begun showing signs of regaining consciousness. HHS took aim at Network for Hope, an organ procurement organization serving Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. It was discovered that the organization engaged in persistent patient safety failures despite oversight systems in place. “Amer…
Still Alive? Organ Donor Group Faces Shutdown Over Patients Who May Not Have Been Dead
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has begun the process of decertifying Network for Hope, a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO), after federal officials concluded the organization failed to correct serious patient safety deficiencies first identified during a sweeping investigation last year. A 2025 HHS investigation found that some potential donors may still have been alive when organ procurement began…
Organ Donation Group Accused of Trying To Harvest Organs From Patients Still Showing Signs of Life
A US organ donation organisation is facing the loss of its federal certification after the Trump administration accused it of serious safety failures, including allegedly attempting to recover organs from patients who were still showing signs of life. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced on Wednesday that the government is moving to decertify Kentucky-based non-profit Network for Hope, citing incidents that raised concerns over patient…
Kentucky organ donation group accused of ‘safety failures’ to be shut down, RFK Jr. says
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday the department will begin decertifying the Kentucky nonprofit Network for Hope after identifying repeated failures.
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