OPTN Executive Committee approves changes to two regions

Published on: Thursday, October 24, 2024

The OPTN Executive Committee voted to update two OPTN regions to accommodate an Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) merger. On October 1, 2024, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and LifeCenter Organ Donor Network merged to become Network for Hope with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approval. The change in region boundaries aligns with new Donor Service Area (DSA) boundaries in region 10 and region 11 and will not impact patient care.

The OPTN Executive Committee action extends OPTN region 11 to incorporate 16 counties formerly in region 10. The boundary change moves the following organizations from OPTN region 10 to OPTN region 11:

• Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
• The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
• The University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
• Hoxworth Blood Center Transplantation Immunology Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH

Effective October 1, 2024 these organizations have joined region 11 as part of the Network for Hope DSA. Region 11 currently includes Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

OPTN regions are for administrative purposes; they support community engagement and participation in OPTN activities. All OPTN regional meetings are open to the public, and attendance is not limited to members in the region, so members affected by the Executive Committee action can participate in the regional meeting that best meets their needs.