MTN Welcomed Execs to Transplant Growth Collaboration
Leaders from transplant centers and hospitals committed to actions to save more lives

Westwood, Kansas – Midwest Transplant Network hosted a Transplant Growth Collaboration work session with more than 100 senior organ transplant and hospital leaders from the region and the nation. The day-long session, held at Hotel Kansas City, was an emphatic success, providing an opportunity for the exchange of innovative practices aimed at increasing the rate of successful transplantations and saving more lives.

In addition to Midwest Transplant Network (MTN), co-sponsors included organ procurement organizations Donor Alliance, Colorado; Iowa Donor Network, Live On Nebraska and Mid-America Transplant, St. Louis.

Endorsed by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), the leadership working session served as an important platform for leaders in the organ transplant community to share insights, overcome challenges and work toward achieving the shared goal of significantly increasing the number of deceased donor organ transplants.

The working session facilitated discussions on identifying barriers to transplant program growth and exploring potential solutions.

Successful, high-growth organ transplant programs that shared best practices include Children’s Mercy Kansas City for its liver transplant program. Children’s Mercy has the lowest pediatric waiting time in the country for liver transplantation. The kidney transplant program from Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey leads the nation in growing its kidney transplant program with excellent patient outcomes, and the heart transplant program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, shared key data to demonstrate its impact on patient outcomes.

The Transplant Growth Collaboration welcomed attendees from transplant programs from Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New England, Pennsylvania and Washington.

“The opportunity to learn from peers who are leading positive changes in their organ transplant programs is motivating, and we all want to do what’s best to help reduce the transplant waiting list and save more lives,” said Jan Finn, RN, MSN, President & CEO, Midwest Transplant Network.

“The Transplant Growth Collaboration is a new learning initiative for transplant centers and hospitals focused on saving more lives through organ transplantation. It’s a commitment to developing plans, looking for solutions and taking action that can make a difference for organ transplant patients across the country.”

The Transplant Growth Collaboration event in Kansas City is among several hosted across the country since late summer. Other host cities include Salt Lake City, Detroit, Houston, Orlando, Florida; and Red Bank, New Jersey.

60K Transplants in 2026
In 2023, the OPTN created the Expeditious Task Force to develop pathways to increase the number of successful transplants and improve organ allocation efficiency. The Task Force has set a bold aim of increasing the number of deceased donor transplants from 39,680 in 2023 to 60,000 in 2026.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there are more than 104,000 Americans – more than 2,400 in Kansas and Missouri – waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

One organ donor can save eight lives; tissue donation enhances the lives of up to 75 people.
The opportunity to give the gift of life is extremely rare – not everyone who registers as a donor is able to donate upon their death. In fact, only three in 1,000 deaths occur in a manner that allows for deceased organ donation. This underscores the pressing need for more registered donors. To learn more or to join the organ, eye and tissue donor registry, visit Donate Life registry or ShareLifeMidwest.com.