Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition

???????????? Today, our Co-Founder, Rachel Noerdlinger, called our Executive Chairman, Al B Sure!, to share the exciting news that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under the leadership of Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, is restoring Medicare coverage for non-invasive blood tests, removing all ties to biopsies for organ transplant patients! Today’s landmark decision from CMS, which delivers hope to transplant recipients – especially those from Black and Brown communities – is a pivotal first step in allowing transplant patients to access these vital, non-invasive blood tests to detect early signs of organ rejection. “As any organ transplant recipient will tell you the path to recovery is a steep, uphill, and daily battle. What’s less known is that this journey poses even greater risks for Black Americans because we are biologically more likely to experience organ rejection, and are disproportionately represented in the transplant population,”?said Al B. Sure!, Executive Chairman of?HEiTC.??“This is why I founded?HEiTC, alongside communications guru Rachel Noerdlinger and my brother, Rev. Al Sharpton, to fight for my transplant family. The road to?reinstating the longstanding coverage policy was arduous, with tens of thousands of Black and Brown transplant patients living with a daily anxiety throughout this journey– unsure if their gift of life was failing them. Restoration of this coverage cannot turn back the clock to March 2023, but it will hopefully ensure such a decision is never made again. I want to thank all our partners in government, including Vice President Harris, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford, and Administrator Brooks-LaSure, for giving their time and attention to the concerns of transplant patients and for the open ear they gave on this issue. Our journey is far from over as we must now ensure that any future LCD reflects the voices of the entire transplant community before any coverage changes are implemented, but today’s results certainly get us a step closer to achieving real equity in healthcare.” In November 2023, we launched HEiTC, under the leadership of Al B! and Rachel, as well as our Senior Advisors, Reverend Al Sharpton and Jennifer Jones Austin, and over the past nine months, we’ve stood firm in the gap for health equity for the transplant community – urging CMS to reverse a Medicare private contractor’s March 2023 decision that dramatically cutback Medicare coverage on these lifesaving tests. Thank you to our allies and Honor The Gift, whose partnership was pivotal in achieving this shared goal. Learn more about CMS’ decision and the impact it will have on transplant patients across America from Al B! and Rev. Al Sharpton: https://lnkd.in/er-RXV52

From all of us at HEiTC, we wish you a Thanksgiving filled with love, health, and gratitude. Thank you for standing with us in our mission to ensure every transplant patient has access to the quality care they need and deserve.

Tomorrow marks one year since the formation of HEiTC! Since that time, we’ve made incredible strides in advocating to restore Medicare coverage for non-invasive blood tests for transplant patients, under the leadership of Al B Sure!, Rachel Noerdlinger, and Reverend Al Sharpton. But our fight is not yet over. Watch to learn more about our journey and the important work that lies ahead as we push for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ new draft policy around non-invasive blood tests to solidify coverage for these lifesaving surveillance tests.

Happy birthday, Rachel Noerdlinger!????????Today, we celebrate our remarkable co-founder and the profound difference she brings to our world every day. As a visionary in global communications, Rachel not only amplifies the stories of those who need it most but tirelessly fights for meaningful, lasting change, including for our transplant community. Her energy and devotion to uplifting historically marginalized communities inspire us all.? ? Rachel, may your day be filled with joy, love, and everything you hold dear, and may this year bring even more impact, fulfillment, and success!

Our Executive Chairman, Al B Sure!, and Co-Founder, Rachel Noerdlinger, recently convened with the CareDx, Inc. team in Silicon Valley to reflect on our monumental 10-month advocacy campaign. Standing united with organ transplant patients and their dedicated allies, we relentlessly fought to restore Medicare coverage for critical non-invasive blood tests, which play a vital role in detecting early signs of organ rejection. ? This August, our unyielding efforts paid off. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reversed course, reinstating Medicare coverage for these lifesaving post-transplant blood tests. This victory marks a major turning point, empowering the transplant community and advancing the fight for #HealthEquity nationwide. ? Listen as our leaders speak about our shared battle to safeguard access to essential healthcare, and thank the CareDx team for their incredible commitment to revolutionize transplant care. Their innovation is a beacon of hope for countless patients whose lives depend on early detection and intervention.

Yesterday, our co-founders, Al B Sure! and Rachel Noerdlinger, went to CareDx, Inc. in Silicon Valley to champion the lifesaving work being done to provide health equity to those in underserved communities. Together they have been crisscrossing the country fighting for transplant patients. Follow our work here: https://lnkd.in/efgPHBsw

Last week, on the margins of the Congressional Black Caucus’ #ALC53, our leaders, Al B Sure!, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Rachel Noerdlinger, joined transplant patients and allies, including Honor The Gift’s Co-Leaders, Lorrinda Gray-Davis and Bill Ryan, in Washington, DC to recognize the importance of the recent restoration of Medicare coverage for life-saving, non-invasive blood tests and to issue a call to action to continue the fight for health equity. “Thanks to transplant patients, allies, care providers, and our coalition, we were able to elevate this issue to the highest levels including Vice President Harris, CBC Chair Horsford, and CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure,” said Al B. Sure!, Executive Chairman of HEiTC. “I was humbled to stand in Washington alongside my transplant family members as we recognized this unprecedented action to restore coverage, as well as recalibrate as we continue to take this fight forward.” “We must now take a deep breath for the journey ahead,” said Reverend Al Sharpton, Senior Advisor of HEiTC. “Health is the foundation of a successful community, and we will not stop fighting until that is firm and services are not just protected but expanded.” As we move forward, there is still more work to be done in the fight to end disparities in America’s healthcare system. Read more about the road that lies ahead in our fight for #HealthEquity and sign up to join our movement: https://lnkd.in/eVTNAyin

Nearly 10 months ago, we joined organ transplant patients and allies in Washington, DC to fight to restore Medicare coverage for non-invasive blood tests and ensure our voices were heard throughout the halls of Congress and at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ? Our leadership team, including Al B Sure!, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Rachel Noerdlinger, is excited to reconvene with our fellow advocates in our nation’s capital this Thursday, as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s #ALC53 is underway, to recognize our collective efforts that led to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to restore Medicare coverage for these lifesaving tests and to underscore the continued need to protect and expand access to services for transplant patients.

Happy Transplant Birthday to HEiTC Executive Chairman Al B Sure!?From the depths of a medically induced coma to marching on a mission to Capitol Hill – today, we honor the extraordinary two-year anniversary of Al B!’s remarkable transplant journey and the priceless gift of life he received on August 25, 2022. Two years ago, our darkest fears were transformed into radiant hope as our beloved Al B! embarked on his courageous path toward survival. And today, along with Co-Founder, Rachel Noerdlinger, and Senior Advisor, Rev. Al Sharpton, HEiTC is behind a remarkable gift to Al B!’s transplant family by helping re-instate lifesaving coverage to detect organ transplant rejection. Al B! turned his suffering into a powerful mission, dedicating himself to becoming a fierce advocate for the underserved in the transplantation community and fighting tirelessly for health equity for his transplant family, ensuring that the gift of life is protected. His mission over the past 9 months? To restore Medicare coverage for post-transplant blood tests, essential for safeguarding that precious gift. And after 9 months of relentless advocacy, standing firm in the gap, shoulder to shoulder with Rachel Noerdlinger, Rev. Al Sharpton and our allies, coverage for these lifesaving tests was restored. Learn more about CMS' monumental decision to restore Medicare coverage for these critical post-transplant blood tests at equityfortransplants.org. We salute Al B! Through the life-saving miracle of a liver transplant, and with the unparalleled skill of his healthcare warriors, including Constance Mobley MD, PhD, FACS, and assisted by Dr. Mark Hobeika at Houston Methodist. The orchestrator of Al B!’s medical care Uday Khosla, MD of Remix Medical, through an introduction from childhood friend, the legendary DJ Eddie "F" Ferrell, CHCO, he defied the odds and rose from the brink of death to reclaim his life from a medical crisis consortium that even the top medical professionals call an “unlikely chance of survival, and nothing short of a miracle. “I consider serving as the U.S. 'national ambassador of transplantation' an exceptional privilege and why I will continue to stand firm in the gap, March all the way the way through February, with the HEiTC Army brigade working in concert and cutting through the red tape of politics which has severely affected the lives of Black, Brown, Undervalued, Underrepresented, Disenfranchised, and the financially insecure who are conveniently ignored and left to drown in the massive gap and lack of true equity in quality healthcare. I celebrate by dedicating this 2nd anniversary / birthday milestone to all of you. Love and light in abundance surrounding you all! Now go and take your meds!!!” God had a greater plan for Al B!

Last November, our Executive Chairman, Al B Sure!; Co-Founder, Rachel Noerdlinger; and Senior Advisor, Rev. Al Sharpton, mobilized a diverse coalition and for months rallied to restore coverage for non-invasive blood tests for transplant patients. Our fearless leaders never let off the pressure because it was a matter of life and death for Black and Brown organ transplant patients. And last week, HEiTC, Honor The Gift, and our allies delivered.? ? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reinstated longstanding Medicare coverage of non-invasive post-transplant blood tests used to routinely monitor organ health. There’s a long road in the fight for #HealthEquity, but we are charging forward! ? Read more about this lifesaving policy change: