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Porter Adventist Hospital pausing transplant procedures

Posted at 10:28 AM, Jul 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-04 12:28:40-04

DENVER — Porter Adventist Hospital will temporarily pause its kidney, pancreas and liver transplant procedures.

The program’s deactivation, which was announced Tuesday and is voluntary and temporary, will provide time for the hospital to recruit and expand clinical support teams and evaluate processes, technology and operational needs, according to a press release. Growing the staff in this service area in both numbers and experience is a priority effort.

The hospital announced that it will assess, upgrade and rebuild a “best-in-class program that will serve our community well into the future.” It plans to reactivate the program in six to 12 months.

“The decision to temporarily stop performing transplants was not taken lightly,” said Porter Adventist Hospital CEO Todd Folkenberg. “As we embark on the rebuilding process, we will be partnering with Florida Hospital Transplant Institute, one of the top multi-organ transplant programs in the country. We look forward to the collaboration with their teams and our hospital partners, affiliates, physicians and clinicians who share our vision to reimagine how we care for transplant patients – before, during and after transplant.”

The hospital is working with the United Network for Organ Sharing to ensure that patients on Porter’s transplant list are contacted regarding transition to other transplant programs in the area.

All other health care services will continue without interruption, said Patricia Howell, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at the hospital. Staff with the transplant program will continue to care for post-transplant patients.

“We regret our program must take a temporary pause for us to achieve the infrastructure levels we need to deliver best-in-class care,” Howell said. “Investing and strengthening our program to better meet the needs of the region’s transplant community is a clinical imperative for our organization.”