When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the Indiana Donor Network reassured Hoosiers on the waiting list that transplants would not slow down. It appears transplant stats for the state shows the network kept their promise.
Beairshelle Edmé, a reporter for FOX59 WXIN-TV in Indianapolis, IN reported, “Even though the federal government made transplants essential, when the coronavirus hit, some Indiana hospitals temporarily stopped them to evaluate COVID-19’s impact on a potential donor.”
Additionally, UNOS changed how states are to report infectious diseases which required testing every donor to determine their COVID-19 status. Hospitals implemented new safety standards including minimizing staff leaving only one organ recovery coordinator to manage COVID-19 donor testing.
Edmé interviewed an organ recovery coordinator, Emily Martyn, who said, “I think initially there was some uneasiness with everyone going into hospitals.”
Even with new restrictions, more safety precautions, and a new normal for all involved, patients like Adam Crozier of Auburn, Indiana was able to receive a kidney transplant.
The National Foundation for Transplants helps transplant patients across the nation overcome financial barriers that delay or prevent them from receiving a life-saving transplant. NFT has established the Lifeline Relief Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This fund will help NFT continue serving our most vulnerable citizens: Transplant Patients. Visit our COVID-19 Response Center to learn how you can help save a life.