Dingell, Bergman Co-Lead Letter Highlighting the Essential Role of Gift of Life Michigan

U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), alongside nine of their Michigan colleagues in the U.S. House, co-led a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) highlighting the essential role of Gift of Life Michigan. Gift of Life Michigan is the federally designated non-profit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) serving Michigan. As CMS undertakes this year’s OPO recertification process, the lawmakers are urging the administration to consider the essential role Gift of Life Michigan and its nearly 400 staff statewide play in serving their communities and sustaining the systems that make life-saving organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation possible. A copy of the letter can be found HERE and below: Dear Secretary Kennedy and Administrator Oz: We write as the congressional delegation representing Michigan to express our strong support for the recertification of Gift of Life Michigan, the federally designated non-profit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) serving our state. As CMS undertakes this year’s OPO recertification process, we urge you to thoughtfully consider the essential role Gift of Life Michigan—and its nearly 400 staff statewide—play in serving our communities and sustaining the systems that make life-saving organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation possible. Since its founding in 1971, Gift of Life Michigan has built deep and enduring relationships with hospitals, health systems, medical examiners, transplant centers, and local community leaders across the state. They have also developed a profound understanding of Michigan’s population, the regional healthcare and governmental landscape, and the unique cultural contexts that shape effective donation work—expertise that cannot be quickly recreated or replaced without significant disruption and added taxpayer expense. During the current certification cycle, Gift of Life Michigan has increased the number of organs available for transplant by 29% and expanded the Michigan Organ Donor Registry by 1.2 million people through sustained public education and community outreach12. The organization has also grown youth education efforts from 3,700 to more than 38,000 students, per internal data. Additionally, according to data from the Michigan Department of Treasury and Michigan Department of State, Gift of Life Michigan worked with state legislators and the Secretary of State to make Michigan the first state in the nation to include a Donor Registry question on state income tax forms—an initiative that has already produced 38,000 new donor registrations since 2024. Given Gift of Life Michigan’s decades of experience, strong performance, deep community partnerships, and critical role in ensuring access to donation and transplantation services, we urge CMS to provide full and fair consideration of the organization’s longstanding service and effectiveness. Maintaining continuity with a well-established, community-rooted OPO is essential to preserving public trust, supporting donor families, and ensuring patients across Michigan and the nation continue to receive timely, high-quality, life-saving donation and transplant services. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.