By LAURAN NEERGAARD WASHINGTON (AP) — Organ donations from the recently deceased dropped last year for the first time in over a decade, resulting in fewer kidney transplants, according to an analysis issued Wednesday that pointed to signs of public mistrust in the lifesaving system. Related Articles Trump administration slashes funding for substance abuse and mental health programs nationwide At-home STD tests offer new options for screening and treatment Polis’ budget proposal would cut Colorado support for training new doctors Judge orders HHS to restore funding for children’s health programs as lawsuit continues Colorado’s getting $1 billion to ‘transform’ rural health care. But hospitals aren’t thrilled with the state’s plan. More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the list for an organ transplant. The vast majority of them need a kidney, and thousands die waiting every year. The nonprofit Kidney Transplant Collaborative analyzed federal data and found 116 fewer kidney transplants were performed last year than in 2024. That small difference is a red flag because the analysis traced the decline to some rare but scary reports of patients prepared for organ retrieval despite showing signs of life. Those planned retrievals were stopped and the U.S. is developing additional safeguards for the transplant system, which saves tens of thousands of lives each year. But it shook public confidence, prompting some people to remove their names from donor lists. Dr. Andrew Howard, who leads the Kidney Transplant Collaborative, said last year’s dip in kidney transplants would have been larger…
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