The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday it had severed ties with a Kentucky organ procurement organization due to multiple alleged safety failures.

Key Takeaways:

• HHS issued a press release announcing the decertification of Network for Hope, a Kentucky organ procurement organization.

• Multiple federal reviews allegedly found Network for Hope had persistent patient safety failures.

• The national spotlight turned to Network for Hope after a man declared to have "no brain activity" woke up when he was taken to surgery to harvest his organs.

The Backstory:

Anthony Thomas "TJ" Hoover was admitted to Baptist Health Richmond in Kentucky after experiencing cardiac arrest following a drug overdose. His family was told he was brain dead, and that he was an organ donor. They agreed to let his organs be harvested, and the hospital held an Honor Walk for him, at which point his family began questioning his diagnosis of brain death.

His sister, Donna Rhorer, told local station WKYT:

“We had his honor walk Friday afternoon. During his honor walk, his eyes started opening up. He was tracking. His eyes were tracking us around. We were told it was just reflexes, just a normal thing. Who are we to question the medical system?”

TJ was then taken into organ retrieval surgery.

“About an hour into it, the doctor came out and got us. He said he wasn’t ready. He woke up. But we also hadn’t been told during his heart catheterization that morning, he woke up then. If we had known that, then clearly we would have known he wasn’t brain dead,” Rhorer said.

Rhorer was told to take TJ home and make him comfortable. She was told he wouldn’t live long. Rhorer’s been caring for her brother for three years now.

“He made several attempts to say, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ But it was kind of ignored. They finally stopped the procedure because he was showing too many signs of life,” Rhorer said.

As Live Action News previously reported:

Natasha Miller, who works at the hospital as an organ preservationist for Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), was in the operating room when Hoover was brought in. She told NPR it was immediately evident something was wrong.

"He was moving around — kind of thrashing. Like, moving, thrashing around on the bed," Miller said. "And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down. He was crying visibly."

Two doctors immediately refused to move forward with the organ procurement surgery, and Miller said the staff was extremely upset at what they had witnessed. Yet a supervisor for KODA allegedly pressured staff to continue, despite the clear signs of awareness from Hoover.

"[T]he coordinator calls the supervisor at the time," Miller said. "And she was saying that he was telling her that she needed to 'find another doctor to do it' – that, 'We were going to do this case. She needs to find someone else.' And she's like, 'There is no one else.' She's crying — the coordinator — because she's getting yelled at."

Network for Hope was created in 2024 after Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) merged with LifeCenter Organ Donor Network. Hoover is still alive and living with Rhorer, receiving physical therapy and treatment to continue his recovery.

When Hoover's case made headlines, Network for Hope said it “remains confident that accepted practices and approved protocols were followed," and claimed that Hoover's case has been “inaccurately represented."

The Details:

In a press release, HHS announced the decertification of Network for Hope, taking away its federal approval and the ability to participate in Medicare and Medicaid.

"Americans who choose to become organ donors deserve a system that honors their gift and protects every patient,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s action reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of life. Organizations that repeatedly fail to meet federal standards and put patients at risk will be held accountable.”

The press release said there had been an investigation from the HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) between 2021 and 2024 into 351 cases, in which organ donation was approved but not completed, finding:

103 cases (29.3%) showed concerning features, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.

That some potential donors may not have been deceased at the time organ procurement was initiated — raising serious questions.

Evidence pointed to poor neurologic assessments, lack of coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases.

HHS said that Network for Hope was given the opportunity to address patient safety issues, but failed to do so.

Network for Hope, meanwhile, said it will appeal the decision. "Under HRSA’s oversight, organ donation went down for the first time in 14 years," CEO Barry Massa said. "As a result, more than 3,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant will be negatively impacted by the decision announced today.”