(WKYT) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is decertifying Network for Hope, an organ procurement organization serving Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday on the University of Kentucky’s campus.
Kennedy said the decision came after extensive reviews by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) found “persistent patient safety failures despite repeated oversights, repeated warnings, corrective action plans, and multiple opportunities to improve.”
What investigators found
Kennedy said federal investigators found serious deficiencies in nearly 30% of cases that they looked into.
“We found patients placed on the organ donation pathway who should’ve never been there,” Kennedy said. “We found cases with a donation process continued, despite signs that patients were not appropriate organ donors.”
Kennedy said the problems included repeated failures in clinical judgment, oversight and patient safety — and that they continued even after the organization promised to correct them.
“We will not tolerate organizations that compromise patient safety or betray the trust of donors or their families,” Kennedy said.
TJ Hoover’s story
Also present at the press conference were Richmond resident Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II and his sister, Donna Rohrer. WKYT spoke to Rohrer in October 2024 about Hoover’s experience.
In 2021, Hoover was admitted to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond after experiencing cardiac arrest and was deemed code blue. The following day, his family decided to remove him from life support. His family then discovered he was an organ donor.
Rohrer said that during Hoover’s honor walk — before organ retrieval surgery — his eyes opened.
“He was tracking me and [doctors] told me it was just reflexes,” she said. “During the heart [catheterization] he was thrashing, crying, and grabbing the doctor’s hands to stop him,” Rohrer said. “Even after those signs, the organ procurement process continued until the physician refused to proceed.”
Hoover survived, but Rohrer said he’s not the same. She said she has been caring for him for the past five years.
“He has nightmares, he struggles remembering things, and he asked me, ‘Sis, why did they want to kill me?’” Rohrer said. “I don’t have an answer for him.”
Officials say TJ Hoover’s story helped lead to the investigation into the non-profit.
“Your courage and telling your story helped expose the serious failures in our organ donation system,” Kennedy said.
Officials said patients at Network for Hope will still receive care.
“That will not stop. HRSA and CMS will continually, closely monitoring the organization,” HRSA Administrator, Tom Engels said.
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Network for Hope responds
Network for Hope CEO Barry Massa responded to the announcement with a statement that said the organization “strongly disagrees with Secretary Kennedy’s decision to decertify our organization and will appeal this decision.”
Network for Hope’s full statement:
Network for Hope (NFH) strongly disagrees with Secretary Kennedy’s decision to decertify our organization and will appeal this decision. NFH is compliant with all OPTN policies and has implemented a first-of-its-kind “pause in procedure” process. This pause process is now Kentucky law and NFH proudly worked hand-in-hand with legislators and regulators by providing input in the drafting both of the new law and its implementing regulations. Despite this, and despite NFH’s demonstrated dedication to improving organ and tissue donation outcomes across its service area, Secretary Kennedy has acted to decertify our OPO that serves seven million people across four states. Under HRSA’s oversight, organ donation went down for the first time in 14 years. As a result, more than 3,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant will be negatively impacted by the decision announced today.