University of Colorado hospital now denies transplants to unvaccinated patients

October 7, 2021

The University of Colorado’s transplant center in Aurora, Colo. is now denying organ transplants to patients who have not been vaccinated for Covid-19. The hospital says that patients who receive transplants are more likely to die if they get Covid.

Colorado state Rep. Tim Geitner put the transplant center in the spotlight when he announced it denied a kidney transplant to a Colorado woman because she was unvaccinated and he released the letter she received from the center.

Leilani Lutali of Colorado Springs had been on the waiting list for a kidney, when she received a notification that she was taken off the list by the UC Health Transplant Center at its Anschutz Medical Campus on Sept. 28. The letter said:

“The transplant team at University of Colorado Hospital has determined that it is necessary to place you inactive on the waiting list. You will be inactivated on the list for non-compliance by not receiving the COVID vaccine. You will have 30 days to begin the vaccination series. If your decision is to refuse COVID vaccination you will be removed from the kidney transplant list. You will continue to accrue waiting time, but you will not receive a kidney offer while listed inactive. Once you complete the COVID vaccination series you will be reactivated on the kidney transplant list pending any other changes in your health condition.”

Several Alaskans have described to Must Read Alaska that they were fired by their Alaska doctors because they have not been vaccinated for Covid. Patients have also described discriminatory treatment that unvaccinated patients receive when they are hospitalized.

Read: Alaska Native says unvaccinated patients are getting the shaft