Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced last week that the federal government was ending its contract with Network for Hope, arguing the nonprofit had not done enough to assure his department that it was course correcting following investigations and a 2025 hearing on Capitol Hill.
The organization has been accused of failing to discontinue organ retrieval plans for some patients who unexpectedly showed signs of life.
"We will not tolerate organizations that compromise patient safety or betray the trust of donors or their families," Kennedy said during a visit to the University of Kentucky.
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services review of 351 cases between 2021 and 2024 found 30 percent had "concerning safety failures."
The question now: What entity will oversee the organ donation processes as Network for Hope loses its certification?
"It's a special and important program. We need to have confidence in it," Gov. Andy Beshear said. "What I'm going to be looking for is who's going to step in, are they ready to hit the ground running, and to make sure that we have what we need to save as many lives as we can."
The governor did not push back on the assertions made by Kennedy, instead adding that patients and families can "never be in a situation where someone's going to start that and the person wakes up or is still there. That's something we just can't allow to happen."
Meanwhile, the Network for Hope isn't backing down — writing in a post on their homepage that it "strongly disagrees" with Sec. Kennedy's decision and will appeal. The network says it has instituted first-of its-kind reforms and shown dedication to improvement.