Porter Adventist suspends transplant operations, forcing 232 patients to find another hospital – The Denver Post

Porter Adventist Hospital suspended organ transplant procedures for six to 12 months as he reevaluates and reshapes his program with the help of the Florida Hospital Transplant Institute

Porter, which provides transplants kidney, pancreas and liver, is one of three hospitals in the region offering organ replacements, with the University of Colorado Hospital and Presbyterian / St. Luke Medical Center.

About 232 of his patients will have to find another hospital, or risk losing their place online if they wait for an organ to be available. Porter said that he was working closely with United Network for Organ Sharing to help his patients quickly get into other programs. "The decision to temporarily discontinue transplants has not been taken lightly," said Todd Folkenberg, CEO of the hospital. reported on Tuesday

Disabling of the program was voluntary and not ordered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Earlier this year, the health department found problems in the way the hospital cleaned up its equipment after orthopedic and spinal surgeries between July 21, 2016 and April 5, 19659005. Spinal surgeries were temporarily suspended until problems could be resolved.

"This is a totally different problem and program," said Wendy Forbes, spokesperson for Centura Health, owner of Porter Adventist. and the difficulties of replacing them in a tight labor market contributed to the suspension. The hospital needed more time to recruit replacements and expand its clinical support teams.

"We wanted to take a step back and look at our staffing issues," said Forbes

. "All other health care services in Porter will continue uninterrupted during this period of reconstruction," Chief Medical Officer Patricia Howell said in the statement.

The current staff of the transplant center will continue to work with patients who are recovering procedures and will help with the redesign of the program.

Howell called for the strengthening of the transplant center, which has existed for more than three decades, an imperative for the hospital to provide the best care in its category.