On Jan. 1, 2023, the Washington Regional Transplantation Community (WRTC) and The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland (The LLF) merged to become a single organ procurement organization (OPO) named Infinite Legacy. The merger brings a combined 79 years of institutional experience together as one organization, serving almost 10 million people across northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and all of Maryland.
In June 2022, the two OPOs announced they signed a definitive agreement to merge into a single organization. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the merger on Dec. 30, 2022. A joint news release from the OPOs states both organizations entered the merger process proactively, and calls it an opportunity to combine their collective expertise and resources to improve and expand the services they offer to the organ donation and transplant community.
“Our commitment is stronger than ever in providing hope and healing to the more than 105,000 people waiting for an organ transplant,” said Charlie Alexander, president and CEO of Infinite Legacy and former president and CEO of The LLF. “We remain determined to collaborate with our communities and healthcare colleagues both locally and nationwide to provide organs and tissues for transplantation, research and education.”
OPOs like Infinite Legacy are an essential part of the nation’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Operating on the front-line of organ procurement, OPOs work directly with a decedent’s family during the emotional discussion about potential donation in order to facilitate the gift of life. For every successful match, the OPO facilitates authorization, testing, the recovery of donor organs and delivery to the transplant hospital. The hard work of OPOs, along with generous donations from families, has contributed to 11 consecutive years of increases in deceased organ donation, and helped the U.S. reach 1 million total transplants in 2022.
Learn more at InfiniteLegacy.org.
