A hospital in Tucson, Ariz. confirmed yesterday that a patient who was refused a liver transplant because of state budget cuts has died. A spokeswoman for the hospital said the death was “most likely” due to the de-funding of the transplant, The Arizona Daily Star reported. The patient was the second transplant-seeking Arizona resident to die since state legislators refused to pay the bill for about a hundred organ seekers in October. The cuts are said to save the financially strapped state about $4.5 million a year.
To talk with us about the transplant process in Arizona and across the country, we’re joined by Lynne Coughlin Samson, executive director of NTAF, the National Transplant Assistance Fund in Radnor, Penn. Randy Shepherd also joins us. He’s a former plumber and father of three from Mesa, Ariz. who needs a heart transplant but was removed from the transplant list because of the funding cuts in Arizona. NTAF has assisted him with his fundraising.
President Obama Seeks to Narrow 'War on Terror,' A Closer Look at the IRS Inquiry, Boy Scouts to Allow Gay Members
The DSM and Mental Health in America
Lessons From a Female Union Electrician
Defining Normal After a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, The Mayor of Oklahoma City, A New Kind of Commencement Speech
Diplomatic Damage Caused by Drone Strikes, In Defense of the DSM-5, Bob Woodruff's Advice for New Grads
The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
Major funding provided by:
Comments [3]
"No matter what the causes...."?
Why is the state of Arizona in such a deep deficit? What expensive contractual obligations does the state have to make it cut back on medical services?
So horrifying - sounds like the state has taken the "if he be to die, he'd better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Is this what we're coming to in this country?
AZs stance on transplants is financially foolish. My father has had declining liver function for 20 years. In the last 5 years he would have 1-3 10-day hospital stays per year. In the 3 months before his transplant in October of this year, he had a 10day hospitalization per month, additional amublance rides and emergency room visits and an enormous amount of medical care.
Since his transplant, he only returns to get staples or stitches or stents removed. He is on alot of medicine which will taper off to a reasonable amount in the coming months. He is much cheaper to his insurance company now than he was prior to the transplant. Since he is 64, we anticipate that aside from the proverbial bus, he'll be around for quite a while.
Shout out to Dr. Maley and the team at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.