SPOKANE, Wash. – Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the Northwest, announced it will be temporarily pausing its heart transplant program due to “key vacancies.”
“During this pause, Providence is dedicated to evaluating and reimagining the program to ensure future success and effectiveness in saving lives,” Providence said in a press release.
A timeline for how long the pause would last or when the Providence Heart Institute would resume transplants at Sacred Heart were not clear.
Sacred Heart Medical Center is the only place in the Inland Northwest that performs heart transplants. Now, patients will have to be redirected to Portland, Seattle, or even Salt Lake City.
According to the Providence website, the Heart Institute in Spokane serves patients from Washington, Idaho, Montana and northeast Oregon. Neither Montana or Idaho have a single heart transplant facility inside state lines.
“To comply with regulatory requirements, Providence is assisting patients on its heart transplant waitlists to transition smoothly to other centers for their transplant,” Providence said. “Patients will retain their accrued time on the waitlist, ensuring no loss of progress.”
Those in the pre-transplant evaluation phase and not yet on a waitlist will be able to continue working with Providence for care and a transplant referral, Providence said.
“Our dedicated team of cardiologists will continue to deliver ongoing care to all patients on the waitlist and those who have previously received a transplant.”
Providence said the pause will not affect other programs in the cardiology department or other kinds of transplants.
The Heart Institute at Sacred Heart Medical Center performed six heart transplants in 2025.
