Dartmouth Health will no longer require someone to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before receiving a kidney transplant, after the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office intervened on behalf of a patient.
The Attorney General’s Office said the health system changed its policy after state officials raised concerns it could violate state law. The law at issue, passed in 2022, forbids health care providers from denying care to patients based solely on vaccination status.
“After reviewing the matter and engaging with Dartmouth Health, we are pleased that they have taken the steps necessary to align their policies with the rights of patients and the requirements of State law,” New Hampshire Attorney General Formella said in a news release.
Organ transplant recipients have a much higher risk of dying or getting severely ill from COVID-19, in part due to immunosuppressive drugs that prevent their bodies from rejecting transplanted organs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID vaccinations for people with weakened immune systems, whether due to medications or a medical condition.
Going forward, Dartmouth Health will strongly recommend, but not require, vaccination for kidney transplant recipients, the Attorney General’s Office said.
In a statement, Dartmouth said it bases its clinical policies on “proven scientific data” to support patients’ best outcomes, and decided to remove the vaccine requirement “after extensive review.”
“We know that vaccination against COVID-19 is proven highly effective at reducing the transmission of acute illness and hospitalization caused by COVID-19, and we continue to strongly recommend that transplant candidates and all other eligible people get vaccinated,” Audra Burns, a spokesperson for the health system, said in a statement.
Shannon Buttermore of Gilford confirmed to NHPR that she was the patient who prompted the change in policy. She said she’s been dealing with kidney issues since birth and had her first transplant at 16.
In December, she found out her kidney function was at about 12%. She said Dartmouth gave her a list of requirements for getting on the transplant list, which included the COVID-19 vaccine and various other immunizations.
Buttermore said she felt pressured to get one COVID shot a few years ago but did not want another dose. She said she had safety concerns about the COVID vaccine, especially given her medically vulnerable state.
“I had people calling for me saying they would donate a kidney to me,” she said, but the hospital still refused to put her on the list.
Buttermore said she’s grateful the attorney general addressed her concerns but thinks more safeguards are needed. She said she’s not against vaccines and it makes sense for doctors to recommend them, but they shouldn’t force that decision on patients.
“I understand why they would highly recommend them,” she said. “Because as a kidney transplant patient, I am immunocompromised. I can get sicker than normal people – normal, healthy people. I just should have the right to choose which vaccines I feel comfortable getting, and which ones I don't.”
