Organ Donation Non-profit in the News

The NJ Sharing Network, a New Jersey organ donation non-profit, is under a congressional investigation following whistleblower allegations of serious misconduct. A letter detailing the accusations was sent to the organization's president and CEO by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on November 19, 2025. 

Allegations of misconduct

• Harvesting organs from a patient who showed signs of life: Whistleblowers allege that the organization attempted to continue the organ recovery process from a patient who had "reanimated". According to congressional investigators, the CEO allegedly ordered staff to continue, but personnel at a hospital in Camden intervened to stop the procedure.
• Skipping patients on waiting lists: The committee alleges that the NJ Sharing Network has "allocated more than a quarter of its organs 'out of sequence' from the national transplant waiting list". This practice may have harmed patients waiting for transplants and potentially violated federal transplant rules.
• Mass-discarding organs: Records show that the organization allegedly discarded 100 pancreata intended for research in a single day in March 2024, despite reporting far fewer discards over a much longer period. Lawmakers suggest this may have been done to manipulate performance metrics.
• Pressuring families for consent: The organization is accused of using redacted donor records from the Motor Vehicle Commission to push back against families who believed their loved ones had revoked consent to donate.
• Withholding records and misleading investigators: The committee alleges the non-profit failed to fully comply with document requests and provided misleading information during a federal survey in late 2024. 

Congressional action

Following the whistleblower claims, the Ways and Means Committee is demanding documents and interviews from more than 30 NJ Sharing Network employees. The organization was given until December 3, 2025, to respond. 

Broader investigation

This investigation is part of a larger, ongoing congressional probe into federally designated Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs). In recent months, other OPOs in Indiana, Miami, and Kentucky have also faced scrutiny. In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services moved to decertify the Miami-based Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency after finding unsafe practices, staff shortages, and paperwork errors.