The federal government has taken steps to cut ties with A Kentucky-based organ procurement organization after federal investigators discovered it was trying to remove organs from critically ill patients who showed signs of life.
Network for Hope (NFH), the nonprofit organization that coordinates organ donations through Kentucky and parts of Indiana, Ohio And West Virginiawas decertified on Wednesday after an investigation found “serious deficiencies” in almost 30 percent of the cases examined.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jrwho announced the decision in Lexington, called the organization a “bad apple” that forced the government to intervene after repeated warnings.
Kennedy said, “Federal reviewers found serious flaws in nearly 30 percent of the cases they examined.
‘We found patients who had been placed on the organ donation route and who should never have been there. We have repeatedly identified deficiencies in clinical judgment, supervision and patient safety.”
A spokesperson for NFH said it “strongly disagrees” with the measure and plans to appeal.
The decision came after a federal investigation into the case of Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II, a 36-year-old Kentucky man who woke up in 2021 as doctors prepared to remove his organs.
Hoover had been rushed to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond after suffering a drug overdose. Doctors declared him, and his family, brain dead permitted organ donationbelieving there was no hope of recovery.
Federal officials decertified Network for Hope after finding serious deficiencies in nearly a third of cases, with RFK Jr. called the organ donation group a “bad apple.”
But as Hoover was wheeled into the operating room, he began hitting the table, making eye contact and crying, according to former employees who were present.
A hospital doctor ultimately refused to take him off life support, and Hoover survived – although he still lives with neurological injuries.
In announcing the delisting today, health officials also reported the results of their investigation into NFH, formerly known as Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA).
For the study, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reviewed 351 cases in which organ donation was authorized but ultimately not completed at the organization.
Of those, 103 cases, or 29.3 percent, showed “concerning features,” they said.
Seventy-three patients – more than 20 percent – showed neurological signs indicating they were still alive when the organization attempted to harvest their organs, the report said.
Health officials also claimed that at least 28 patients may not have died at the time the procurement was initiated
In addition, the investigation reportedly revealed poor neurological assessments, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, especially in overdose cases where patients temporarily exhibited a depressed mental status due to the effects of medications rather than a terminal illness.
Thomas “TJ” Hoover II was rushed to the hospital after suffering a drug overdose. His sister, Donna Rhorer, said Hoover turned to narcotics after dealing with PTSD, anxiety and depression
TJ Hoover continues to live with neurological injuries after waking up during organ procurement surgery in 2021. His sister Donna Rhorer has been his caregiver for years
NFH CEO Barry Massa said the organization “strongly disagrees” with Kennedy’s decision and plans to appeal.
“NFH complies with all OPTN policies and has implemented a unique ‘pause in proceedings’ process,” Massa said in a statement.
“Despite this, and despite the NFH’s proven commitment to improving organ and tissue donation outcomes across its service area, Secretary Kennedy has taken action to decertify our OPO, which serves seven million people in four states.”
Natasha Miller, a former organ conservator at NFH, was in the operating room the day Hoover was taken to have his organs harvested.
She previously told the Daily Mail: “I was just trying to concentrate on work, and once I saw him with my own eyes, crying, it made you feel like, what are we doing?”
“It’s not always ethical, and that needs to change.”
Nyckoletta Martin, another former employee, told investigators that Hoover had woken up hours earlier during a cardiac catheterization, but was sedated and the case continued.
An organ transplant coordinator eventually closed the case after Hoover’s condition became impossible to ignore. Miller alleged that higher-ups pressured staff to continue, with one supervisor allegedly telling a coordinator to “find another doctor to do it” or she would be fired.
A hospital doctor ultimately refused to take him off life support and Hoover survived, although he still suffers from neurological injuries including difficulty balancing, speaking, seeing and short-term memory loss.
His sister, Donna Rhorer, was told to take him home and make him comfortable — that he wouldn’t live long. She has been taking care of him for years now.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce held hearings on the case, with Republican Florida Rep. Neal Dunn calling it “a story more fit for a horror movie than a congressional hearing.”
The decertification is part of a broader reform initiative that Kennedy announced in July 2025 that also includes safeguards to prevent line skipping in organ allocation, a strengthened misconduct reporting system and requirements that all organ procurement groups hire patient safety officers.
Before this action, the approximately 55 groups that have federal contracts to manage donations in the country had never faced closure.
