Network for Hope, whose stated mission is to "honor, save, and heal lives by empowering people, enhancing capabilities, and expanding the impact of organ, tissue, and eye donation," serves Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Federal investigations by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), two operating agencies under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have revealed severe, persistent patient safety failures across nearly 30% of examined cases.
According to the government, the organization pushed to harvest organs from patients who showed signs of life or awareness. Network of Hope reportedly ignored medical staff warnings regarding reflexes and neurological functions and relied on high-risk protocols without required safety checks.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said every donor, family, and patient deserves complete confidence that our organ donation system is safe, ethical, and worthy of their trust.
"We will not tolerate organizations that compromise patient safety or betray the trust of donors or their families," he stated.
Responding to this on Fox News Channel, Dr. Marc Siegel said it is a widespread problem, due in part to there not being a "consensus" on death.
"This organization is using something called circulatory death, where your heart stops if you withdraw the care, and the lungs aren't working, but your brain may still be working," he explained.
Siegel went on to say that a patient can be on a sedative and appear dead when he or she is still alive.
"That's part of what led to all of these citations," he said.
Kennedy noted one patient, TJ Hoover at Baptist Health Richmond in Kentucky, woke on the table, brought his knees to his chest and reportedly said "NO!" After being declared braindead, witnesses reported he showed signs of awareness, thrashing and crying on the table, leading a doctor to halt the procedure.
"HHS investigated 350 cases in Kentucky and found 73 incidences of this, where there was pressure being put on, and it wasn't stopped quickly enough," Siegel reported.
He applauded the Kentucky Legislature for recently passing a "very important" law that requires doctors to pause and ask if a patient should be an organ donor.
"This is taking place nationwide now," he said. "We've got 100,000 people waiting for organs, but obviously it can't be taken from somebody that's still alive."
In a statement to the media, Network of Hope says it "strongly disagrees" with Sec. Kennedy's decision and plans to appeal.
