Short wait time
High Cadaveric Transplants Volume
Limited access, mountainous area
Charleston Area Medical Center, located in West Virginia has been maintaining a record short, just under a year, wait time in the US.
Blood Type O: 11 months
Blood Type B: 18 months
Blood Type A: 10 months
This was the second transplant center that I visited in an attempt to multilist for a kidney transplant. I absolutely loved it there. Imagine a transplant surgeon with a bedside manner and a personality. I arrived an hour before my appointment time and they ushered me back immediately to start the evaluation process. At the end of the appointment, in a 30 minute window, I had blood draws, a chest x-ray AND they were able to get a CT scan performed. I will be transferring my credited wiat time to this center.
Great center for a transplant. I was transplanted less than a month after I was listed
Charleston Area Medical Center has one of the shorter kidney transplant wait times, even though it is based in a rural area and not as well known as major metropolitan hospitals.
In 2020, following the implementation of the Executive Order aimed at increasing kidney availability, the cadaveric transplant volume doubled.
West Virginia adds roughly 70–90 kidney transplant candidates each year, a level of demand that closely aligns with available organ supply. About 20% of patients come from nearby states—primarily Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland—seeking shorter wait times. The program’s waitlist has consistently hovered near 120 patients, has never surpassed 160, and most candidates are transplanted within a year.
The program recognized for excellent waitlist management, keeping roughly 75% of listed patients in active status. This significantly exceeds the national average of around 40% and points to strong coordination and ongoing communication with patients.
Charleston Medical Center is located in a mountainous region, where weather conditions can delay flights.
Patients must be within a five-hour driving radius of Charleston Medical Center. Air transportation is not accepted because of local airport constraints and weather-related concerns. Charleston Medical Center Team
Following a significant increase in cadaveric kidney transplant volume at Charleston Area Medical Center since 2019, the majority of patients have received transplants within 12 months. Due to its mountainous location and limited airport infrastructure, the center maintains a relatively small waiting list, as access for medical air transport is restricted.
The Charleston Area Medical Center has transplanted 73% of their waitlisted patients in 2024. Only 10% of patients who were waiting last year remain on the waitlist today. University of Toledo Medical Center was the highest performer in 2024, providing about 88% of their waitlisted patients with cadaveric transplant.
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