Midwest Transplant Network has been saving and
enhancing lives for half a century.

Here are some key milestones from our first 50 years.

Jan Finn

Since Midwest Organ Bank (now Midwest Transplant Network) was incorporated in 1973, our team has had the privilege of transforming lives: the lives of transplant recipients and their loved ones as well as donor families. Now, 50 years later, we’re reflecting on half a century of transformations. Technology has evolved, and our team has grown significantly — making it possible to save and enhance more lives than ever before.

None of the inspiring stories you see below would be possible without donor heroes, whose generosity enabled others to lead healthier lives. These heroes or their families lovingly said “yes” to giving the gift of life to those in need. These “yeses,” which may seem simple, have touched countless individuals, families and friend groups for half a century.

Saving and enhancing lives through donation is an incredible honor for our staff members, yet it’s an honor that would not be possible without strong support from our many partners. We thank our hospital partners; area transplant centers; licensing, Treasury and Department of Revenue partners; funeral home professionals, coroners and medical examiners; volunteer Ambassadors; Board of Directors; and everyone else who plays a role in the donation and transplantation process.

When thinking about our 50th year, we look forward to celebrating with the many individuals and teams who make our important work possible. We also reflect on those whose lives have ended, yet whose legacies live on through their recipients. 

If you haven’t already, please join the organ, eye and tissue donor registry and encourage your friends and family members to do the same. You could save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance up to 100 more through tissue donation — forever impacting your legacy and those of your recipients.

Warm regards,

Jan Finn, RN, MSN
President & Chief Executive Officer

Jan Finn Signature

1960s and 1970s

  • 1968

     

    Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA)

    UAGA was the first legislative proposal addressing organ donation, and it established the Uniform Organ Donor Card as a legal document in all 50 states. The act also banned the sale of organs and tissues.

  • 1969

     

    First Local Kidney Transplant

    C.Y. Thomas, MD, performed the first kidney transplant in Kansas or Missouri at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri. Within weeks, teams at The University of Kansas Health System and Research Medical Center also performed transplants.

  • 1970

     

    Kansas the First State to Incorporate Brain Death Criteria as Legal Definition of Death

    In August 1968, a committee at Harvard Medical School published a landmark document titled “A Definition of Irreversible Coma.” The new definition of death, brain death, focused on loss of neurological function. The document provided a foundation for the eventual adoption of legislation that established brain death as legal death in all 50 states.

  • 1972

     

    Centralized Organ Procurement

    A meeting of chiefs of nephrology and transplant surgeons from four Kansas City hospitals resulted in an agreement to establish centralized organ procurement. The following individuals were involved: Jared Grantham, MD; C.Y. Thomas, MD; Robert Williams, MD; Frederick Whittier Jr, MD; Thomas Crouch, MD; Richard Muth, MD; and Donald Cross, MD, who later became Laboratory Director after the formation of Midwest Organ Bank (MWOB).

  • 1972:

     

    Formation of Midwest Organ Bank Laboratory

    The origin of organ retrieval in the Kansas City area began in 1969 when Richard Muth, MD, received a grant established by the Missouri Public Health Department to create a tissue typing laboratory. MWOB acquired the laboratory through negotiations with General Hospital, paving the way for performing histocompatibility testing (HLA) to match donor organs to local recipients. Read more

  • 1972:

     

    End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Act

    The ESRD Act passed to pay for dialysis treatments and paved the way for Medicare coverage of renal dialysis and kidney transplantation. It remains the only federal program to pay for a specific disease.

  • 1972

     

    First Kidney Transplant in Columbia, Missouri

    Gilbert Ross Jr., MD, performed the transplant at University Hospital.

  • 1973

     

    Founding Executive Director

    Larry Kist was appointed MWOB’s first Executive Director. Kist helped develop national policy and practice in this role until 1997.

  • 1973

     

    Bone Marrow Transplantation

    The first successful bone marrow transplant (BMT) from an unrelated donor was performed. Today, both Children’s Mercy Kansas City and The University of Kansas Health System treat patients with BMT for a variety of hematological disorders; MTN’s Laboratory plays an integral role in supporting this type of transplantation.

  • 1973

     

    Belzer Perfusion Machine in Kansas City

    MWOB acquired the first perfusion machine through a cooperative community effort between the National Kidney Foundation, Saint Luke’s Hospital, Research Medical Center and the VA Kansas City Healthcare System. This allowed kidney pumping, which enabled MWOB to double the number of kidney recoveries the organization completed in a year from 13 to 26.

  • 1973

     

    Aviation Department

    MWOB created its Aviation Department at the urging of the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure the safety of staff members and transplantable organs. The department allowed MWOB to transport teams and organs across its service area.

  • 1974

     

    Growth of Kidney Transplantation

    Organized kidney retrieval on a regional basis was initiated due to the use of new perfusion technology and the need for transplantation.

  • 1975

     

    Federal Funding for Development of Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs)

    A grant from the CDC allowed an assessment of potential organ donors and spearheaded a national effort for death record review and the first hospital development program to increase donation awareness. The changes in federal oversight, led by MWOB, provided resources for many OPOs to begin retrieval services.

  • 1978

     

    First Kidney Transplant at Research Medical Center

    The organization has since expanded its transplant services and now offers pancreas and kidney/pancreas transplants as well.

  • 1978

     

    MWOB First in Leading Organ Sharing

    MWOB led with several firsts, including the Midwest Organ Sharing System, a computer-operated regional sharing system for the north-central U.S. that was utilized until the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) implemented the national system in 1987.

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