Hospital Erred Saying Disabled Patient Ineligible for New Heart (1)

A mentally disabled patient is now eligible to receive a donated heart transplant thanks to a government resolution of a civil rights complaint against the University of North Carolina’s health system.

The unnamed patient filed the complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights in September 2018 after the UNC health system refused his or her request to be added to the United Network for Organ Sharing, an organization that matches organ donors with recipients.

A doctor with the system said the patient wasn’t a good candidate to receive a donated heart due to the patient’s disability and the fact ...