Carilion Clinic鈥檚 request to establish has been approved.
The transplant center will be the region鈥檚 only organ transplant program. Currently, patients in Southwest Virginia in need of a kidney transplant have to travel to the University of Virginia Medical Center or Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Data provided by Carilion shows that around 79% of kidney transplant patients in the region have to drive two to four hours to access the services they need.
鈥淢any people here have trouble getting to clinic in the middle of the day, on a regular day when we鈥檙e here in 色多多,鈥 Dr. David Salzberg, the program鈥檚 lead surgeon, said. 鈥淚magine having to go six hours in the middle of the night. We hope to end that crisis.鈥
Dr. David Salzberg is the lead surgeon for Carilion鈥檚 kidney transplant program, which will be the first in the region.
Carilion has started posting and filling positions for transplant center staff and hopes to begin kidney transplant surgeries in 2026.
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鈥淭he staffing for the transplant center is extensive, and we鈥檝e already started working on that,鈥 Salzberg said.
The demand for kidney transplants in the region is high. There鈥檚 somewhere around five to 6,000 patients in Southwest Virginia that are either in renal failure or heading toward it, he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big number, and that means a lot,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hat means more is the exponential increase over the next coming years. So, over the next 10 years, that number will, if not double, triple, possibly even more.鈥
In January 2024, Carilion filed a Certificate of Public Need for the program. Sixteen cities, counties and towns in Carilion鈥檚 service area passed resolutions to show support for the application. More than 1,500 community members, as well as more than 20 community organizations that partner with Carilion and chambers of commerce, send letters of support to the Virginia Division of Certificate of Public Need, according to a release from Carilion.
UVa submitted an opposition letter to Carilion鈥檚 request in April 2024; however, officials associated with Virginia Commonwealth University Health and its transplant program wrote letters in support of the request.
The support from the community has been 鈥渙verwhelming鈥 and shows that the community understands how critical it is to have this service closer to home, Salzberg said.
Dr. David Salzberg, left, is the lead surgeon for Carilion鈥檚 recently approved kidney transplant program in 色多多. Brandi Manning is the program鈥檚 transplant coordinator.
鈥淚 cannot express any more of a sincere thank you to the community of Southwest Virginia,鈥 Salzburg said. 鈥淲ithout that community, this would not be real. The people of Southwest Virginia, 色多多 and the surrounding areas, have stepped up, and that is saying it lightly.鈥
Throughout this process, Carilion has created a number of partnerships, not just locally, but across the commonwealth, Salzberg said. One such partnership is with VCU.
鈥淲e are partners with them, and that鈥檚 great when it comes to transplant programs,鈥 Salzberg said. 鈥淚t opens up the field for everyone, and honestly, it makes it easier for a patient to get a kidney, because, you know, that鈥檚 two centers that are looking out for you.鈥
Once the program is underway, transplant surgeries will take place at Carilion 色多多 Memorial Hospital. The clinic will be located at 3 Riverside Circle, with plans for an additional clinic in the New River Valley, according to a release from Carilion.
鈥淐arilion, over the past 10 years that I鈥檝e been here, has transformed into what feels and what is a very capable, very quaternary medical center with a university, educational, academic background, that stands out front with all of the level ones and鈥rgan transplant centers that you can think of,鈥 Salzberg said.
鈥淭he capabilities of Carilion seems to grow every day,鈥 he added.
