A new federal rule may allow out-of-state groups to manage South Carolina’s organ donation program, affecting the local group’s certification.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — More than 800 organ transplants happened in South Carolina last year, but changes at the federal level could affect the state’s primary organization responsible for organ donation.

We Are Sharing Hope South Carolina works with hospitals and families to coordinate every transplant in the state. A new federal rule will bring more competition and could allow out-of-state groups to take over South Carolina’s program.

Some donor families say that having someone local guide them through the process makes all the difference.

“It is so rewarding to see that something good came about negative,” said Winky Zeberlein.

Zeberlein’s son Bucky was a former University of South Carolina student and soccer player. He died in 2024 from a stroke. She said she wanted to fulfill his wishes but was hesitant at first until We Are Sharing Hope South Carolina walked her through it.

“My objection or hesitation is that I won’t have anybody to bury. And he said, ‘Oh, no, it’s nothing like that.’ He said, ‘You won’t notice a thing,’ and I didn’t. So it was it was fine. I’m glad that we did it,” Zeberlein said.

We Are Sharing Hope South Carolina is one of 55 certified organ procurement organizations across the country. Under the new federal rule, it will be ranked against other out-of-state groups beginning in 2026. If the organization does not perform better than others, its certification will be taken away and other multi-state groups could take over.

“What we do is respond when someone has passed or when their death is imminent, and we will speak to the families, will advocate for donation, and we’ll coordinate the gift if the family says yes to donation,” said David DeStefano, CEO of We Are Sharing Hope South Carolina.

The rankings aim to make he process more competitive and ensure higher performing organ procurement organizations (OPOs) get the most opportunities. But DeStefano say the metrics don’t fully reflect the work done in South Carolina. The state’s “denominator,” which is the number of potential donors considered, is higher than in other states, making it harder to meet benchmarks.

“Our denominator for donation rate is higher than many of the areas around us, so we have to do two more organ donors to one of the surrounding OPOs, one organ donor to get into the next tier, right? Because our denominator is more than theirs, and it’s inappropriately more.”

He says transplant rates, another key metric, are beyond the OPO’s control. DeStefano said ranking organizations only on donation and transplant rates does not reflect the real work being done.

“I think having a local agency here is critical to make sure we understand the local culture, the local issues and the local environment to best serve the people at the end of life,” DeStefano said. “I think the worst thing we can do is turn organ donation into a commodity. And that’s what competition does, right?” DeStefano said.

For families like Zeberlein’s, the impact is deeply personal. She’s received donation letters from all ages, from a teenage boy that got her son’s heart to a grandmother that got his liver.

“A teenage boy got a heart. He has never been able to do things with his family, you know, yard work and playing basketball. It’s nice to know that something good came of it, and that these people have a better life because of it,” Zeberlein said.

We Are Sharing Hope South Carolina will know by the start of 2026 if its certification will be taken away. After that, the process for other organizations to bid on South Carolina’s organ procurement program would open.

Read the story on WLTX here.