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Livers are the second-most awaited organ transplant in the country. There are over 10,500 people on the waiting list, and transplantation is currently the only cure for liver insufficiency or failure. Despite these high stakes, until recently there weren’t any liver transplant programs available in the highly populated area of northern California, north of San Francisco.

However, this summer UC Davis Health in Sacramento expanded the services of their UC Davis Transplant Center to include liver transplants — making it the third solid organ transplant program to launch at the hospital. Since the first procedure in July, the center has already completed six successful liver transplants.

The liver team at UC Davis Health is multidisciplinary and integrated, comprised of hepatobiliary surgeons, hepatologists, liver transplant anesthesiologists, advanced practitioners, transplant coordinators, nurses, financial coordinators, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists and transplant administrators. All these key roles coalesce to create a supportive care experience for each transplant patient.

“Our team provides patients with comprehensive care throughout the transplant process, from assistance with lodging to support with nutrition and medications,” said Lea K. Matsuoka, M.D., section chief for liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery at the Transplant Center, in this article. “Patient care does not end after the surgery; it is only beginning.”