RFK Jr. decertifies Kentucky organ harvesting outfit accused of ignoring signs of life in ‘donors’

The Trump administration is taking steps to ensure that Americans aren’t being cannibalized for their organs while still alive and kicking.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decertified Network for Hope, or NFH, a federally designated “organ procurement organization,” on Wednesday following a damning independent investigation exposing allegedly “disturbing practices” associated with the organization.

‘Why did they want my organs?’

According to the decertification notice issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “No Medicare and Medicaid payments will be made with respect to organ procurement costs attributable to Network for Hope on or after November 3, 2026.”

“Americans who choose to become organ donors deserve a system that honors their gift and protects every patient,” said Kennedy. “Today’s action reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of life. Organizations that repeatedly fail to meet federal standards and put patients at risk will be held accountable.”

Crying on the carving station

Anthony “TJ” Hoover II was admitted to Baptist Health Richmond’s emergency room on Oct. 25, 2021, suffering an overdose. Things looked bleak but were about to get much worse.

“We were told TJ had no reflexes, no responses, no brainwaves, no brain activity,” Hoover’s sister, Donna Rhorer, told WDKY-TV. “And we were told that on the 26, 27, 28, 29. … We made the decision as a family to remove him from life support because, you know, he was brain dead.”

When the process to harvest Hoover’s organs was initiated, his family members and multiple medical professionals claimed they noticed signs that he was not only alive but alert.

“His eyes started to open, and not just open, he was checking around, looking to see what was going on,” said Rhorer. “And we were told that was just reflexes, just normal instinct, and he’s not there.”

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Nyckoletta Martin, a surgical preservation coordinator who was working at the time with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates — which merged with LifeCenter Organ Donor Network in 2024 to become NFH — witnessed the moments leading up to the scheduled organ harvesting.

Martin testified to Congress late last year that Hoover regained consciousness during his cardiac catheterization, but upon waking, he “was paralyzed and sedated.” The family was never informed that Hoover had regained consciousness, alleged Martin.

The former KODA employee told WDKY that while Hoover was allegedly thrashing around, knocking the would-be harvesters’ hands out of the way, and crying, “They were trying to prep and drape him for surgery.”

“This was no ordinary movement,” Natasha Miller, an organ perfusionist with KODA at the time and witness to Hoover’s case, told CNN. “He was very aware.”

Fortunately, the doctors refused ultimately to go through with the organ procurement.

“TJ knows what happened. TJ says, ‘Why me? Why did they want my organs?’ And TJ feels guilt still about he did not die so that people could get his organs to save their lives,” said Martin. “That’s horrific to me. Nobody should ever be put in that position. That’s not what his mission is about.”

Regarding the Hoover incident, Baptist Health Richmond told NPR, “The safety of our patients is always our highest priority. We work closely with our patients and their families to ensure our patients’ wishes for organ donation are followed.”

NFH said in response to outrage over the incident:

It is very important to understand that an organ procurement organization (OPO) is not involved in patient care, and we do not declare death. OPOs only have the authority to proceed with organ recovery after a patient’s independent health care provider has declared death. At any time, if a patient’s condition improves or a death declaration does not take place, the family is informed that the donation cannot take place, and the OPO team does not proceed with organ recovery.

State and federal officials looked into the matter and found that Hoover’s seemingly horrific dealings with the Kentucky-based OPO were not exceptional.

Hundreds of horrors

Following an independent investigation into Hoover’s case and other potential issues with NFH, the Health Resources and Services Administration alleged in July 2025 “clear negligence after the previous [Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network] Board of Directors claimed to find no major concerns in their internal review.”

The HRSA examined 351 cases where organ donation was authorized but not ultimately completed. According to the HHS press release,

• 103 of the cases “showed concerning features, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation”;
• at least 28 of the patients whose cases were reviewed “may not have been deceased at the time organ procurement was initiated”; and
• “evidence pointed to poor neurologic assessments, lack of coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases.”

“This is horrifying,” Kennedy stated at the time. “The organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to transplants will be held accountable.”

The HRSA subsequently launched an assessment of whether NFH had adequately corrected the issues identified by the agency. The CMS separately assessed whether the NFH continued to meet federal requirements, including the minimum requirements for Medicare certification.

The organization was found wanting.

“HRSA, through its oversight of the OPTN, worked closely with Network of Hope [sic] over the past year through intensive monitoring and corrective action to address serious patient safety concerns,” HRSA Administrator Tom Engels said on Wednesday. “Despite those efforts, the organization did not demonstrate the improvements necessary to meet federal standards.”

“When organizations entrusted with the care of potential organ donors fail to meet those standards, we have a responsibility to act,” added Engels.

Barry Massa, the CEO of NFH, said in a statement that the organization “strongly disagrees” with Kennedy’s decision and will launch an appeal.

“NFH is compliant with all OPTN policies and has implemented a first-of-its-kind ‘pause in procedure’ process,” continued Massa. “This pause process is now Kentucky law and NFH proudly worked hand-in-hand with legislators and regulators by providing input in the drafting both of the new law and its implementing regulations. Despite this, and despite NFH’s demonstrated dedication to improving organ and tissue donation outcomes across its service area, Secretary Kennedy has acted to decertify our OPO that serves seven million people across four states.”

Massa further suggested that the decertification will negatively impact over 3,000 people waiting for an organ transplant.

Network for Hope, Baptist Health, and the HHS did not respond to Blaze News’ requests for comment.

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