Penn State Health has announced the discontinuation of its liver and kidney transplant programs at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The decision, announced on Tuesday (May 28), follows a voluntary pause and performance review by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and an internal review by Penn State Health.
"During our discussions with UNOS and our own review of the programs, it became apparent to us that the ongoing challenges we have faced to keep the programs running make closing them the right course of action at this time," a spokesperson for Penn State Health said.
The closure affects over 150 patients who were on the liver and kidney transplant waiting lists. Penn State Health is offering assistance to these patients to transition to other transplant centers. Post-transplant care will continue to be provided by liver and kidney specialists for patients who have already received transplants. The health system's heart, stem cell, and bone marrow transplant programs will continue to run uninterrupted.
The decision to discontinue the programs comes only months after they were relaunched following serious disciplinary sanctions and an extensive effort to rebuild. The programs had previously been flagged by a national oversight group for problems with kidney and liver transplants.