Kentucky Organ Donation Agency Closed Due to Safety Issues

WHO:

CNN - US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced the shutdown.

CNN - The organization involved is Network for Hope, a Louisville-based organ procurement group.

CNN - TJ Hoover is a whistleblower who survived an organ retrieval attempt.

CNN - Natasha Miller is a perfusionist who worked with Network for Hope.

CNN - Barry Massa is the CEO of Network for Hope.

ABC News Health - The federal government is involved in the shutdown process.

WHAT:

CNN - The federal government is moving to shut down Network for Hope due to safety concerns.

CNN - Network for Hope plans to appeal the decision.

CNN - An investigation found that of 351 cases examined, more than 100 had “concerning features.”

CNN - More than 3,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants will be negatively impacted by the decision.

ABC News Health - The group is accused of continuing plans for organ retrieval from patients who showed signs of life.

WHERE:

CNN - The organization is based in Louisville, Kentucky.

CNN - The news conference was held in Lexington, Kentucky.

CNN - Network for Hope covers the entire commonwealth of Kentucky and parts of southern Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.

WHEN:

CNN - Network for Hope was created in 2024 through a merger.

CNN - An investigation by the Health Resources and Services Administration into Hoover’s case began more than a year prior to the announcement.

CNN - A federal investigation into the organ donation system was reported in January.

WHY:

CNN - The shutdown is due to repeated patient safety concerns and failure to meet professional standards.

CNN - The organization was under scrutiny after a whistleblower reported a case of organ retrieval from a living patient.

HOW:

CNN - The federal government acted after evidence pointed to poor neurological assessments and questionable consent practices.

CNN - HHS ordered Network for Hope to conduct its own investigation and requested oversight from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

(UPDATED August 5, 2026 23:55 UTC)

The federal government is moving to shut down Network for Hope, a Louisville-based organ procurement group, due to serious safety concerns following an investigation that revealed over 100 troubling cases out of 351 examined. Whistleblower TJ Hoover, who survived an organ retrieval attempt, raised alarms about the organization's practices, prompting scrutiny over their handling of patients who showed signs of life. Network for Hope plans to appeal the decision, which could negatively impact more than 3,000 individuals waiting for life-saving organ transplants across Kentucky and parts of neighboring states.