A transplant candidate alerted Attorney General John Formella about the health system’s policy, his office said in a Jan. 15 news release.
The candidate was Shannon Buttermore, 42, a resident of Gilford, N.H., according to NH Journal. Ms. Buttermore said Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center refused to allow her to apply for a kidney transplant because she declined to receive a second COVID-19 vaccine in 2022.
Dartmouth Health will now strongly recommend, but not require, COVID-19 vaccination for kidney transplant eligibility. The attorney general’s office said transplant recipients are at a higher health risk due to immunosuppressive treatments.
Mr. Formella said the new policy aligns with patient rights and state law.
A spokesperson for the system told Becker’s the vaccination requirement was removed following “extensive review.”
“Dartmouth Health strives to implement clinical policies informed by proven scientific data, intended to support the best possible outcomes for our transplant recipients,” the spokesperson said. “Numerous clinical issues come into play and inform questions of clinical necessity for vaccination, as it relates to vaccination status of patients undergoing significant immunosuppression required for transplant procedures.”
