Lifeline of Ohio

What Lifeline of Ohio does

Lifeline of Ohio is a federally designated, independent non-profit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, operating under the legal name Lifeline of Ohio Organ Procurement, Inc. (EIN 31-1116603). Established in 1985 and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the organization is the exclusive OPO for 38 Ohio counties and two West Virginia counties (Wood and Hancock), serving approximately 5 million residents and coordinating with 97 hospital and facility partners across Central and Southeast Ohio and West Virginia. Its core function is to coordinate deceased organ, eye, and tissue donation end-to-end — hospital referral, medical evaluation, family authorization, organ matching through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), organ and tissue recovery, and aftercare for donor families — and to maintain the Ohio Donor Registry through a contractual relationship with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). The organization also operates specialty programs including the Neonatal Donation Program (launched 2017) and the Placenta Donation Program (launched 2019, scaled to 29 participating hospitals and 110 OB/GYN practices, with 3,000+ placentas donated producing 75,000+ healing grafts as of November 2025), and runs donor family support services including a 13-month bereavement aftercare program, the Donor Memorial in Columbus, Donor Memorial Quilts, Shadowboxes, and the Shawls of Support program.

The organization holds accreditations from the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) and the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), is a member in good standing of the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN), and operates in compliance with FDA and OSHA regulations. In 2025, the organization reported 134 organ donors and 955 tissue and cornea donors facilitated in its service area.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: CMS reimburses Lifeline of Ohio for costs associated with organ procurement (the dominant revenue stream), and the organization supplements this with 501(c)(3) charitable contributions (one-time, recurring, planned bequests), corporate event sponsorships for the annual Dash for Donation 5K, Candlelight Ceremony, and Donor Family Reception, and third-party fundraisers. All donation services are provided free of charge to donor families, and there is no cost to register as a donor. The organization is led by CEO G. Holloway and governed by a Board of Directors, Medical Advisory Board, African American Advisory Council, and Donor Family Council, with hospital systems including OhioHealth, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System, and Mercy Health represented on its governance bodies. The go-to-market model is event-driven and community-led, anchored by 97 hospital relationships and broad multicultural, faith-based, and school outreach that drives donor registration, education, and donor authorization.

Name

Lifeline of Ohio

Legal name

Lifeline of Ohio Organ Procurement, Inc.

Website

https://lifelineofohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lifeline of Ohio is a CMS-designated non-profit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) coordinating deceased organ, eye, and tissue donation across 38 Ohio counties and 2 West Virginia counties, serving 97 hospital partners and approximately 5 million residents through donation coordination, donor family aftercare, and community education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ Procurement and Tissue Donation Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Organ procurement services
• Tissue donation coordination
• Donor family aftercare
• Transplant referral coordination
• Bereavement support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Reimbursement (CMS): As a federally designated Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Lifeline of Ohio receives reimbursement for costs associated with organ procurement. Once authorization is secured, all costs of organ, eye, and tissue donation are assumed by Lifeline of Ohio.
2. Charitable Contributions and Donations: Lifeline of Ohio is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 31-1116603) that accepts financial contributions from the public. Donors can give online (one-time or recurring), by mail, or through planned bequests. Contributions support bereavement programs, donor memorial maintenance and engraving, educational outreach, and multicultural outreach.
3. Third-Party Fundraising and Event Sponsorships: The organization hosts events such as Dash for Donation 5K, Candlelight Ceremony, Donor Family Reception, and Clinical Excellence Workshop. Corporate sponsors can sponsor these events. Third-party fundraisers are also organized by community members.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Lifeline of Ohio is a federally designated Organ Procurement Organization that coordinates deceased organ, eye, and tissue donation across 38 Ohio counties and 2 West Virginia counties. It manages the full donation workflow — hospital referral, donor evaluation, authorization, organ matching through UNOS, recovery, and donor family aftercare — and operates specialty programs including neonatal donation and placenta donation that produce healing grafts. The organization also maintains public-facing donor registration, community education, and a 13-month bereavement support program for donor families.

Product overview

Lifeline of Ohio is an independent, non-profit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) established in 1985 that promotes and coordinates human organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplantation. The organization operates as a healthcare services provider with a portfolio of core coordination services supported by specialty donation programs (Neonatal Donation Program launched 2017, Placenta Donation Program launched 2019), donor family support services (Aftercare/Grief Support, Shawls of Support, Donor Memorial), and community education/outreach programs (Faith Outreach, School Outreach, Multicultural Outreach including the Rooted in Life campaign). Annual events include the Dash for Donation 5K and Candlelight Ceremony. The organization does not offer a software product or technology platform; all services are healthcare coordination, education, and support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Coordination Core service coordinating deceased organ (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, small bowel), cornea, and tissue (bone, fascia, skin, veins, heart valves) donation from hospital referral through authorization, organ matching via UNOS, recovery, and quality assurance testing. Provided to donor families and recipient hospitals at no cost.
• Neonatal Donation Program Program supporting families facing non-survivable diagnoses for newborns, enabling donation of organs and tissues for medical research to create a lasting legacy. Conceived by the family of Noah Calhoon, an infant diagnosed with anencephaly.
• Placenta Donation Program Program enabling expectant mothers delivering by planned cesarean section at participating hospitals to donate placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic membranes for processing into healing grafts used in wound care and surgical applications. As of November 2025, more than 3,000 placentas donated across 29 participating hospitals have produced 75,000+ healing grafts.
• Aftercare and Grief Support Services Thirteen-month bereavement aftercare program for donor families with eight intervals of supportive contact, including grief resources, counseling referrals, online support courses, donor family support groups, and monthly mailings.
• Shawls of Support Program Program providing handmade shawls to donor families for comfort in their time of loss, with shawls made by Donate Life Ambassadors including transplant recipients and community members.
• Hospital Development and Training Services B2B service for the OPO's 97 hospital partners across Central and Southeast Ohio and West Virginia, providing dedicated Hospital Development Representatives, staff training and education on donation protocols, and 24/7 coordinator availability for donor evaluation under CMS routine-notification requirements.
• Community Education and Outreach Educational programs delivered to schools, workplaces, faith organizations, BMV locations, and community groups, providing donation information and speaker presentations on organ, eye, and tissue donation.
• Faith Outreach Program Program providing faith communities with educational materials, downloadable service slides, and speaker requests addressing religious perspectives on organ, eye, and tissue donation, including resources for Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and non-denominational congregations.
• School Outreach Program Educational program for Ohio high schools providing free classroom presentations, virtual donation lessons, and materials aligned with Ohio's state health curriculum requirement for organ, eye, and tissue donation education.
• Multicultural Outreach Program Outreach initiatives targeting African American, Asian Pacific Islander, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, Somali, and senior communities, addressing misconceptions and providing culturally appropriate donation information and translated materials to reduce transplant disparities.
• Donate Life Ambassador Program Trained volunteer program engaging transplant recipients, donor family members, and community members as Donate Life Ambassadors who speak at schools, civic organizations, churches, businesses, and health fairs; includes required Ambassador Training within the first year.
• Financial Contributions and Planned Giving Fundraising program accepting one-time and recurring financial contributions, planned gifts, and bequests to support aftercare services, donor memorial maintenance, multicultural outreach, and educational programs. Lifeline of Ohio is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 134 organ donors and 955 tissue/cornea donors facilitated in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• OhioHealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOhioHealth (Berger Hospital, O'Bleness Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Dublin Methodist Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, Grant Medical Center, Mansfield Hospital, Marion General Hospital, Pickerington Methodist Hospital, Riverside Methodist Hospital, Southeastern Medical Center) is a key hospital system partner. OhioHealth hospitals participate in the Placenta Donation Program. OhioHealth is represented on Lifeline of Ohio's Governing Board and Medical Advisory Board (Corey Perry, VP Mission & Ministry serves as MAB Chair; Dr. George Simon, VP Oncology, serves on Governing Board).
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOSU Wexner Medical Center participates in the Placenta Donation Program and serves as the transplant center for living kidney donation referrals in Central Ohio. Multiple OSU representatives serve on Lifeline of Ohio's Governing Board (Ryan Zinn, Director of Corporate Engagement, as Vice Chair) and Medical Advisory Board (Dr. Matthew Exline, Pulmonary/Critical Care; Dr. Bryan Whitson, Transplant Surgeon; Laura Stillion, Senior Director Hospital Operations).
• Mount Carmel Health SystemcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMount Carmel East Hospital, Mount Carmel Grove City Hospital, and Mount Carmel St. Ann's Hospital participate in the Placenta Donation Program. Mount Carmel has representation on Lifeline of Ohio's Governing Board (Meghan M. Long, Director of Patient Care Services).
• Mercy Health – St. Rita's Medical CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMercy Health – St. Rita's Medical Center participates in the Placenta Donation Program. Labor & Delivery RNs from this hospital appeared on television to promote the placenta donation program and celebrate the 3,000th placenta donation milestone. Ronda Lehman, President of Mercy Health St. Rita's, serves on Lifeline of Ohio's Governing Board.
• WVU Medicine – Camden Clark Medical CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWVU Medicine – Camden Clark Medical Center participates in the Placenta Donation Program. Located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, it serves patients in Wood County, one of the two West Virginia counties (Wood and Hancock) in Lifeline of Ohio's service area.
• 29 Placenta Donation Program Hospitals (network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor29 hospitals participate in the Placenta Donation Program, including Adena Regional Medical Center, Avita Health System (Galion and Ontario), Fairfield Medical Center, Genesis HealthCare System, Holzer Medical Center, Knox Community Hospital, Licking Memorial Hospital, Lima Memorial Hospital, Marietta Memorial Hospital, Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth hospitals, OSU Wexner Medical Center, Southern Ohio Medical Center, WVU Medicine Camden Clark, and Mount Carmel hospitals. Approximately 110 OB/GYN practices are also part of the program.
• Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Ohio BMV is the primary channel for donor registration. BMV staff ask every customer getting or renewing a driver's license or state ID whether they want to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor. The BMV maintains the Ohio Donor Registry (ODR), a secure database of registered donors. Lifeline of Ohio provides Donate Life materials, displays, and registration table kits to BMV locations. The BMV also sells Donate Life specialty license plates.
• 97 Hospital Partners (network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor97 hospitals and facilities in Central and Southeast Ohio and West Virginia partner with Lifeline of Ohio to facilitate organ, eye, and tissue donation. Hospitals are required by CMS to report all deaths to Lifeline of Ohio for potential donor screening. Lifeline of Ohio's Hospital Development Representatives assist hospitals with training and education on donation protocols.
• National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) of ColumbusflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPHC of Columbus (all nine historically Black fraternities and sororities and 14 chapters) partners with Lifeline of Ohio on the 'Rooted in Life' multimedia campaign to reduce organ donation disparities in the Black community. Black people are 3x more likely to need a lifesaving transplant. The partnership includes the annual Rooted in Life Day of Service during Unity Week in June, podcast episodes, social media content, and display exhibits.
• CryoLifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCryoLife is a tissue processing company. Lifeline of Ohio's Tissue Department was awarded 'Excellence in Vascular Recovery' by CryoLife in Q1 2020, recognizing the quality of vascular tissue recovery and processing partnership.
• Community Tissue ServicesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity Tissue Services recognized Lifeline of Ohio's Tissue Department for its help in supporting burn victims in New Zealand in 2019, indicating a partnership in tissue processing and distribution for burn victim care.
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)coreTechnology or IntegrationUNOS operates the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN), which matches donor organs to waiting recipients. Lifeline of Ohio is a member in good standing of OPTN and uses UNOS systems for organ matching. All required immunological testing per UNOS standards is performed on potential donors.
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)coreOthersThe FDA regulates tissue banks in the United States. Lifeline of Ohio's tissue donation and processing activities comply with FDA standards. The FDA also passed the HOPE Act in 2013, which removed the ban preventing people living with HIV from being registered organ donors.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)coreOthersCMS approves and regulates OPOs. Lifeline of Ohio has been approved by CMS as the designated OPO for 38 counties in Ohio plus Wood and Hancock counties in West Virginia. CMS requires hospitals to report all deaths to the OPO for donor screening. Lifeline of Ohio receives reimbursement for organ procurement costs through CMS.
• Hospitals & Funeral Homes (network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLifeline of Ohio works with hundreds of funeral homes throughout its service area. Funeral directors support families during the donation process and coordinate to ensure donation does not interfere with funeral plans. The Funeral Home Services page is password-protected for funeral home partners.
• Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAT supports transplant field partners in saving and healing lives in diverse communities. AMAT provides guidance for Lifeline of Ohio's multicultural outreach efforts.
• Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOTTEP supports partners in the transplant field as they save and heal lives in diverse communities. MOTTEP provides guidance for Lifeline of Ohio's multicultural outreach efforts.
• Be The MatchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBe The Match is the national bone marrow registry. Lifeline of Ohio does not facilitate bone marrow donation but refers interested individuals to Be The Match to learn about bone marrow donation opportunities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mid-America Transplant: Nonprofit OPO serving Missouri, southern Illinois, and northeast Arkansas. Peer on CMS designation, hospital development model, and public-education/outreach programming; widely cited as a high-performing OPO on donor yield metrics.
• ConnectLife: Nonprofit federally designated OPO and tissue procurement organization serving western and central New York. Peer on combined organ + tissue procurement, hospital-referral coordination, and Donate Life community engagement.
• New England Donor Services: Designated OPO serving the six New England states. Direct peer on full-stack organ, eye, and tissue procurement, hospital partnership model, and AATB/EBAA accreditation footprint.
• Donor Network of Arizona: CMS-designated OPO serving Arizona. Comparable scope and operating model with a strong community-outreach focus and similar scale (single-state or partial multi-state footprint).
• LifeGift: Nonprofit OPO serving Houston, Fort Worth, Lubbock, and surrounding Texas regions. Direct peer in core procurement operations, multicultural community outreach, and hospital partnership development model.
• NJ Sharing Network: CMS-designated OPO serving New Jersey with a comparable model of hospital referral coordination, donor family aftercare, and community education. Frequently cited for education-driven multicultural outreach in diverse communities.
• LifeCenter Northwest: CMS-designated OPO serving Washington, Alaska, Montana, and northern Idaho. Comparable in core organ, eye, and tissue procurement activity, hospital partnership model, and CMS reimbursement structure; serves a similarly mid-sized regional population base.
• OneLegacy: Largest US OPO by service area, serving southern California. Direct peer in organ, eye, and tissue procurement with hospital partnership, Donate Life branding, and multicultural outreach models; significantly larger scale makes it a benchmark rather than a head-to-head competitor.
• Life Connection of Ohio: Designated OPO serving Northwest/North Central Ohio, the other of Ohio's four OPOs. Directly comparable in scope, regulatory status (CMS-designated nonprofit), and donation coordination model, but operating in a separate (non-overlapping) service area.

Others

• AOPO (Association of Organ Procurement Organizations): National trade association representing all 56 US OPOs. Comparable only at the industry-association level; provides benchmarking, advocacy, and standards against which Lifeline's performance is measured.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lifelineofohio
• Facebookfacebook.com/lifelineofohiocolumbus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lifeline-of-ohio
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifelineofohio

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lifeline of Ohio