Overview
- Committee leaders detailed whistleblower claims that NJ Sharing Network’s CEO told staff to continue organ recovery after a patient showed signs of life at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital before hospital staff stopped the procedure.
- Investigators say families were pressured using New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission records, including cases where donor status had been revoked yet was treated as active consent.
- Public data cited by the committee shows organs were allocated out of sequence at rates well above peers, allegedly skipping hundreds of waitlisted patients, with deaths and clinical deterioration reported among those bypassed.
- Lawmakers allege a same‑day discard of 100 pancreases that the organization initially denied, raising questions about whether recoveries were done for legitimate research or to bolster metrics tied to Medicare reimbursement.
- The panel demanded documents and transcribed interviews with more than 30 staff by Dec. 3, flagged alleged record deletions and misleading statements, noted possible loss of nonprofit status or federal contract, and reported no comment from NJ Sharing Network or Virtua.