The HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, was enacted on November 21, 2013 by President Obama. The HOPE Act calls for the development and publication of research criteria relating to transplantation of HIV positive organs into HIV positive individuals. For people living with HIV, this act has the potential to increase the donor pool significantly.
On November 21, 2015, the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) made policy and system changes to implement the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which allows for research into transplanting organs from HIV-positive donors into HIV-positive recipients.
It is estimated that 600 HIV-positive donors could save more than 1,000 people each year. To date, there have been 42 HOPE donors nationally, 5 of them in Donor Network West’s service area.
Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list and 22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant. Do not rule yourself out; help destigmatize HIV in your community.
Participating Transplant Hospitals:
- Johns Hopkins Hospital; Baltimore, MD
Liver and kidney programs - Mount Sinai Medical Center liver and kidney programs; New York, NY
Liver and kidney programs - University of California San Diego Medical Center; San Diego, CA
Liver (deceased donor) and kidney (deceased donor) programs - University of California San Francisco Medical Center; San Francisco, CA
Liver (deceased and living donor) and kidney (deceased donor) programs
Full list of participating transplant hospitals here.
Additional Resources:
HOPE in Action PDF
OPTN Policy and System Changes
American Academy of HIV Medicine