HERSHEY, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Nov. 2022.
Penn State Health announced Tuesday that it is discontinuing its kidney and liver transplant programs at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey.
The move comes after announcing last month that the liver transplant program was taking a voluntary pause.
In 2022, the medical center stopped performing the transplants for a period, and were declared "a member not in good standing" by The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), the nation’s leading organ transplant watchdog.
The program was reactivated in 2023, and Penn State Health says patients who have received kidney and liver transplants since that time have had a 100% survival rate.
You can read the full statement from Penn State Health below:
Penn State Health is discontinuing its kidney and liver transplant programs at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
This was not an easy decision as we know our community depends on us to provide the health care services they need and want us to deliver. We are proud that the kidney and liver transplant programs have had a 100% survival rate for patients who underwent transplant since reactivation in 2023. However, 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.
We recognize we have work to do to be able to provide this service in a way that aligns with our expectations and that the people who depend on us deserve. It is in our patients’ best interests for us to focus right now on the many programs and services where we have a proven track record of success and have earned a reputation for excellence.
This move does not affect Penn State Health’s heart or stem cell and bone marrow transplant programs, which will continue uninterrupted.
Penn State Health is helping people on its kidney and liver transplant waitlists transition to other transplant centers. Our team of kidney and liver specialists will continue to provide post-transplant care for patients who have already received a transplant as well as specialized medical management for those living with kidney and liver disease not requiring transplant.