MEDIA STATEMENT

Media Contact:
Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org

AOPO Statement on HHS Announcement of Network for Hope Decertification

McLean, VA (August 5, 2026) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will decertify Network for Hope, the organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Kentucky and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana.

The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) fully supports actions to strengthen our nation’s organ donation and transplant system and to ensure all stakeholders are held to the highest standards of patient safety, quality and integrity. Should an OPO fall short of any regulatory, statutory, or legal standard or requirement, AOPO supports federal and state oversight entities holding them accountable as appropriate, through corrective actions or, if necessary and prudent, decertification. At the same time, any enforcement process should be transparent, evidence-based, consistent, and provide appropriate due process, including the opportunity to appeal.

As Secretary Kennedy acknowledged in his remarks, OPOs across the country actively embrace and implement strict processes and protocols to fulfill their primary mission of saving and improving lives through organ donation and transplantation. Every donated organ represents an extraordinary gift, and OPOs are committed to honoring that gift with respect, compassion, and rigorous clinical safeguards throughout the donation process. Today’s action should not diminish public confidence in the nation’s broader organ donation and transplantation system, or the dedication and professionalism demonstrated every day by OPOs serving patients, donor families, and transplant centers across the country.

AOPO supports every effort to strengthen patient safety throughout the organ donation and transplantation system. Achieving that goal requires collaboration across the entire donation and transplant continuum—including hospitals, OPOs, transplant programs, and federal partners. To meet our shared goal and preserve public trust, HHS should publicly explain the evidence supporting today’s action, communicate next steps to sustain continuity of organ recovery and donation services, minimize disruption for donor families, transplant programs, and patients awaiting transplantation, and ensure the process is transparent, consistent, and grounded in facts.

Public trust is essential to the success of the nation’s organ donation system. Recent public concerns fueled by misinformation and heightened public attention surrounding isolated cases has led many Americans to reconsider their decision to register as organ donors, affecting the more than 100,000 patients currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Clear, accurate, and evidence-based communication from all stakeholders is critical to maintaining the trust that makes organ donation possible.

In 2025, there were more than 46,000 deceased donor organs transplanted, resulting in over 40,000 lives saved through the generosity of donors and their families and the work of OPOs. AOPO and its members are committed to working with federal regulators and stakeholders to build upon more than a decade of sustained progress while maintaining the public’s confidence in a donation system that saves thousands of lives each year. As HHS implements today’s decision, protecting patients, supporting donor families, and ensuring uninterrupted donation and transplantation services must remain the highest priority.