US moves to decertify Network for Hope organ group

The federal government is moving to decertify a major organ donation organization after an investigation found it repeatedly placed patients at risk, including cases where individuals showed signs of life while being prepared for organ retrieval. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the action against Network for Hope on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Kennedy stated that reviews by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration uncovered persistent patient safety failures despite repeated warnings and mandated corrective action plans. Investigators examined 351 cases between 2021 and 2024 where organ donation was authorized but not completed and found serious deficiencies in nearly 30 percent of them. These included 73 patients who displayed neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.

"We found patients placed on the organ donation pathway who should have never been there," Kennedy said. "We found cases where the donation process continued despite signs that patients were not appropriate organ donors. We found repeated failures in clinical judgment, oversight, and...