Transplant Turf War: The Fight Over Kidney Care in Virginia

If you live in Southwest or Southside Virginia, your chances of developing kidney disease are higher than elsewhere in the state. Yet, access to care remains a bureaucratic battleground. Carilion Clinic wants to open a kidney transplant center in Roanoke, but the University of Virginia Health System is pushing back, arguing that it would threaten its existing program in Charlottesville. With state regulators set to weigh in, what’s really at stake for patients in the region?

Host Dutchie Jessee sits down with healthcare reporter Emily Schabacker to break down the debate, the policy behind it and what it could mean for those in need of life-saving transplants.