Support for Transplant Patients

For someone facing a transplant, there’s always room for an extra dose of assurance to calm your fears and anxieties.

We will do everything we can to answer your questions, keep you informed of the processes, and help you focus on your goal of restored health.

A Long-Term Partnership

At any point in your transplant journey you will find a large team of professionals at the UI Organ Transplant Center willing to help you navigate each new phase of your life successfully. You have entered into a new long-term healthcare commitment with our team, and we are always here to answer your questions. Our goal is to educate you so that you can be at the center of the care of your new organ.

The Transplant Coordinator

Throughout our entire process—from the evaluation, to the transplant list wait, to the surgery, to the hospital recovery stay, and back home—you’ll be under the guidance of a nurse transplant coordinator. This person knows the details of your journey. Coordinators are available for your questions and feedback, and they have the ear of all other members of your care team.

Our Psychology Team

You may meet members of our psychology team during the evaluation process. They are also a ready resource for you to help cope with any anxieties you have about the transplant itself at any point in the process. We believe that excellent mental health goes hand in hand with your physical recovery, and we’re going to help you achieve it.

Our Financial Counselors

Every patient meets one of our financial counselors to review insurance coverage for transplant services and transplant medications. We want you to be informed about the extent of your coverage, what other coverage might be available, what assistance UIHC might offer in certain circumstances and, importantly, what out-of-pocket expenses you might incur during or after the transplant process.

Our Social Services Professionals

Social workers are a critical part of the transplant team. They have many goals in their evaluation including an assessment of your understanding of the process and expectations of the treatment. They carefully evaluate your family and caregiver support structure which is vitally important at the time of transplantation and a key to your recovery. They will work with public and private community agencies to see that your needs get met.

Our Pharmacy Professionals

Following your transplant, you will be on a life-time course of drugs that help your body accept your new organ. Our pharmacy staff members, working closely with your physicians, can help you address any concerns about your medications, their effects on you, and their availability.

Our Support Groups

Our organ transplant support group includes individuals who have been through what you’re experiencing. They know that sometimes it’s easiest to confide in someone who’s been through it. That goes not only for the patients, but also for members of the patients’ family. You’ll find a circle of support and encouragement from this group, and you are invited to attend their activities at any point in the transplant process. Information for joining the group.

Support from Family and Friends

It is common for a patient to experience emotional changes following transplant. These feelings can come from the medications or from issues of sadness for the organ donor. If you're having these feelings, please ask for help from any member of your support team: the professionals who are part of the Organ Transplant Center as well as the family and friends who make up your personal support group.