DENVER (AP) - A Colorado hospital will restart its organ transplant program after voluntarily stopping operations.

The Denver Post reported that Porter Adventist Hospital officials announced Friday that kidney, pancreas and liver transplants are scheduled to resume by the end of the year.

Officials say Porter suspended surgeries last year, a few months after the state health department was concerned with the hospital’s equipment-cleaning procedures.

Officials say there is no indication that the sterilization issues affected their program.

Hospital representatives say they hired more than 20 new staffers and equipped the program with new tools.

Porter’s parent company, Centura Health, says they currently meet state health guidelines.

Authorities say the hospital faces a lawsuit from more than 60 patients who suspect infections and at least one death were caused by poor health standards.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

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