The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the Department of Health and Hunan Services (HHS) announced the first ever multi-vendor contract awards to modernize the nation’s organ transplant system to improve transparency, performance, governance, and efficiency of the organ donation and transplantation system for the more than 100,000 people on the organ transplant waitlist.

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) has long faced critiques about lack of transparency, potential for conflicts of interest, IT reliability issues and other structural challenges. As part of the Administration’s transformation of the OPTN, for the first time in 40 years, multiple contractors will provide their expertise and proven experience to improve the national organ transplant system. This transition from a single vendor to multiple vendors to support OPTN operations is a critical step in advancing innovation in the transplant system to better serve patients and their families and implements the bipartisan Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act signed by the President in September 2023.

“With the life of more than 100,000 Americans at stake, no organ donated for transplantation should go to waste,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “For too long, our organ transplant system has fallen short, mired in monopoly. The Biden-Harris Administration has reformed OPTN to require accountability in the operation of organ procurement that our transplant patients and their families demand.”

“One person is added to the waitlist every 10 minutes. Each one relies on and deserves the best care possible,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Today’s action marks a significant advancement in the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to doing what it takes to make sure the nation’s organ matching system works for patients, donors, and the families who depend on the OPTN for that life-saving call.”

HRSA is announcing multiple OPTN modernization awards to support critical actions, including:

1. Improving Patient Safety – Arbor Research Collaborative for Health will provide support on patient safety and the policy compliance systems and processes overseen by the OPTN Board of Directors and the Membership and Professional Standards Committee to improve oversight of the multiple entities in the OPTN.
2. Supporting OPTN IT Modernization – General Dynamic Information Technology (GDIT) will focus on the opportunities to improve the OPTN organ matching IT system and inform HRSA’s Next Generation IT procurement and development work.
3. Increasing Transparency and Public Engagement in OPTN Policy Development – Maximus Federal will advance opportunities to improve public visibility and engagement in the OPTN policy making process, including improving transparency around OPTN policy making committees’ deliberations and actions.
4. Strengthening Patient-Centered Communications – Deloitte will focus on improvements in communications from the OPTN, within the OPTN and, importantly, with patients and families.
5. Improving OPTN Financial Management – Guidehouse Digital will address improvements for OPTN’s budget development and management systems and processes.

In August 2024, HRSA announced that the OPTN Board of Directors—the governing board that develops national organ allocation policy—is now separately incorporated and independent from the Board of longtime OPTN contractor, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). HRSA awarded an OPTN Board Support contract to a new vendor, American Institutes for Research, to support the newly incorporated OPTN Board of Directors.

HRSA launched the OPTN Modernization Initiative in March 2023, including making proposals to reform the decades old OPTN statute and increase funding for the program to better serve patients and families. Within a year, HRSA worked closely with bipartisan leaders in Congress to secure passage of the Securing the U.S. OPTN Act and substantially boost funding to support modernization efforts. Today’s awards represent a key step forward in this work.

From Becker’s Clinical Leadership

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded nearly $11.5 million to 39 projects through its Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which aims to address the impact of substance use disorder (SUD) in Appalachia with investments in projects that create or expand services in the recovery ecosystem leading to workforce entry and re-entry.

ARC’s 2024 INSPIRE grantees will strengthen the SUD recovery ecosystem in 127 counties in nine Appalachian states—Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia—by expanding recovery-focused partnerships, peer support and other wraparound services, and skills and workforce training programs that help prepare individuals in recovery for meaningful job opportunities.

“Substance use disorder is a region-wide epidemic that impacts Appalachian families and community workforces,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I commend our 2024 INSPIRE grantees for their dedication in helping Appalachians who have struggled with substance use disorder regain a sense of hope and purpose by enabling them to rejoin their communities, bolster workforce development, and make positive impacts on the region.”

“In order to truly address substance use disorder, we must create an environment that includes support for wrap-around services such as housing, job training, and counseling,” said ARC States’ Co-Chair Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “INSPIRE funding helps make this possible by empowering organizations to make an impact across the Appalachian region. We are proud of Tennessee’s nine grantees who are focused on this important work.”

Federal Co-Chair Manchin made the award announcement with North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley, grantees, and state partners during a press conference at the headquarters of Land of Sky Regional Council—INSPIRE grantee and local development district—in Asheville, North Carolina.

“Communities in the Appalachian region, especially rural towns, have borne the brunt of the disease of addiction,” said Secretary Kinsley. “We are grateful to our federal partners for tackling these disparities head-on by investing in behavioral health services and supports.”

With this award package, ARC has invested $53.6 million in 166 projects across all 13 Appalachian states since INSPIRE was established in April of 2021. Together, ARC’s INSPIRE investments will impact 360 Appalachian counties, improve over 3,000 businesses and help prepare nearly 16,200 individuals for new opportunities in the workforce.

New Data Reveals Reduction in SUD-related Deaths in Appalachia
SUD recovery-to-work initiatives may be starting to make an impact, according to a new ARC research report that examines trends in diseases of despair including overdose, suicide, and liver disease. From 2021 to 2022, the overall diseases of despair mortality rate decreased 4 percent in the Appalachian Region while remaining virtually unchanged in the rest of the United States. However, work remains to be done, as these rates—in both Appalachia and the rest of the country—remain much higher than the pre-pandemic figures of 2019.

ARC expects to issue a Notice of Solicitation for Applications (NOSA) for the next round of INSPIRE funding in early 2025.

Learn more about ARC’s INSPIRE Initiative and the newest INSPIRE grantees

The CDC Office of Rural Health has released its inaugural Rural Public Health Strategic Plan to protect and improve the health of America’s rural communities.

This plan outlines key priorities that provide a blueprint for CDC’s rural public health work for the next five years. Please take a look at the plan and share it with colleagues who work in rural public health and related areas.

NRHA recently released an advocacy toolkit on how to prioritize rural health advocacy during an election year amidst changes in local and federal congressional offices. Additionally, NRHA Chief Policy Officer Carrie Cochran-McClain recently appeared on Michelle Rathman’s Rural Impact podcast to discuss top-of-mind rural health policy issues.