Answers to specific questions from donors and family members
You may download a program brochure (PDF file) containing these questions and answers.
1. Who may register to become a donor?
Anyone who is free of communicable diseases (as defined in question 2 below) and is at least 18 years old and of sound mind may apply for registration.
2. May I register to be a donor if I have a communicable disease or if I am severely obese?
Certain communicable diseases automatically preclude an anatomical donation. We cannot accept applications/registrations from those potential donors who have hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS or Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease at the time of application to the program.
Potential donors with other infectious disorders such as, but not limited to, MRSA and E. coli will be accepted subject to the approval of the director.
Generally, those who are considered to be morbidly obese cannot be accepted into the Anatomical Gift Program. Determination of morbid obesity will be at the discretion of the director.
3. Will my body be acceptable for donation if I have a non-infectious or non-communicable disease at the time of my death or if any of my organs has been removed?
Yes. There is no way for you to know, at the time of your advanced registration, whether you will someday have an organ or organs surgically removed or that you may suffer from a serious disease prior to your death. These circumstances will not invalidate your pre-arranged donation.
However, if arrangements for donation have not been made in advance of your death, and you have an infectious or communicable disease at the time of your death, we cannot guarantee your acceptance into the program. Acceptance will be subject to the approval of the director.
4. May I donate my organs as well as my body?
Perhaps. As a general rule, a whole body donor may not also be an organ donor. Both whole body and organ donations are equally noble gifts, but organ donation generally precludes whole body donation because it is often difficult to prepare a body for extended preservation following organ donation. Having said that, there are two exceptions to that statement.
First, whole eyes or corneas may be donated prior to donation of the whole body. This does not compromise subsequent preparation. Interested donors should contact local eye banks prior to death to arrange for eye donations.
The second exception involves brain donations. Certain brain disorders/diseases are of particular interest to a large number of research scientists and if the donor makes arrangements in advance, we will recover the donor’s brain and send it to a certified research institution. [See: Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center.] This does not compromise subsequent use of the body. Some institutions will send a complete neuropathology report of brain pathology to the donor’s survivors.
Our office will assist you in making these arrangements. A fee for brain and/or spinal cord recovery will be assessed for those who are not registered with the Anatomical Gift Program.
5. Is there a fee for donating my body to the Boonshoft School of Medicine?
No. There is never a fee for residents of the state of Ohio provided death occurs within the state. The Boonshoft School of Medicine assumes the expense of removing the body to the medical school, as well as the costs of embalming, cremation and interment in Rockafield Cemetery.
6. Will I receive money for my participation in the Anatomical Gift Program?
No. The law provides that a dead body is not an object and therefore may not be the subject of a sale (Herold v. Herold, 3 O.N.P. NS 405, 16 O.D.N.P. 303, 1905). Such an act would be considered a high grade misdemeanor (Thompson v. State Tenn. 177, 58 S.W. 213, 1900) and unethical.
7. May I withdraw from the program at any time?
Yes. Simply send a letter notifying us of your decision. We will delete your donation from our records and send you a letter confirming that action.
8. What procedure should be followed if I should expire at home?
In the event of a death at home, the first person to be notified should be the physician who attended the deceased. If the physician cannot be reached, notify the coroner’s office in the county in which the death occurred or the local police department. After the coroner or police officer has released the body, place a call to the Boonshoft School of Medicine at (937) 775-2304. We will make appropriate arrangements for and attend to the removal of the decedent to the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
9. What purpose will my body serve?
This question cannot be answered directly without knowing our needs at a specific time. Frequently, donors provide the means by which medical students and nursing students learn human anatomy. In addition, resident physicians are accorded the opportunity to review anatomy specific to their areas of interest. Paramedics, emergency medical technicians and care-flight personnel learn new and practice known procedures. Laser surgery techniques are taught. Physical and occupational therapists, massage therapists and nurses renew their knowledge of anatomy. Some donors serve to provide research data through magnetic resonance imaging techniques. Still others facilitate the development of new surgical procedures for such things as minimally invasive hip, knee and shoulder replacements.
10. May my body be donated following an autopsy?
Perhaps. In certain situations, such as a fatal accident or suicide, it is likely that the coroner will order an autopsy. Provided that your registration in the Anatomical Gift Program has been completed before death, we will still accept your remains.
Elective autopsies requested by a donor’s survivors will preclude continued registration in the Anatomical Gift Program and the remains will no longer be accepted.
Persons who have had autopsies whose survivors seek to register them in the Anatomical Gift Program after death will not be accepted as donors.
12. Must an attorney become involved for me to make a gift of my body?
No. It is not necessary to retain legal counsel to complete your consent/registration forms. Furthermore, it is not necessary to write an anatomical gift into your will.
13. Who may act as the required witness to my donation?
Anyone of sound mind who is at least 18 years of age may witness your consent forms. The law requires that two persons witness your consent to donate. Failure to obtain two witnesses will compromise your donation and may result in our refusal to accept your remains at the time of death.
14. What procedure should be followed if I expire in a hospital or other care facility?
Upon admission, always make the admitting officer in the hospital or other care facility aware that you are a donor to the Anatomical Gift Program at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Should death occur while you are there, the personnel in the hospital or care facility will notify the appropriate legal authorities to have your body released. Personnel at the care facility should then notify the Boonshoft School of Medicine by calling (937) 775-2304. We will make appropriate arrangements for, and attend to the removal of the decedent from the facility to the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
15. Is a funeral or memorial service permitted for a donor?
Yes. We suggest that the ceremony take the form of a memorial service since the decedent will not be present. Any expense incurred for a private memorial or funeral service must be borne by the survivors of the donor and will not be the responsibility of the Boonshoft School of Medicine or the Anatomical Gift Program. Similarly, we are not financially responsible for the purchase of a personal urn or interment/inurnment in a cemetery of your choice.
In the event that a family member lives out of town and cannot return prior to removal of the decedent to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, we can make arrangements for the out-of-town survivors to view the remains at the medical school, provided that we are notified of the request in a timely fashion. Remains will be held prior to viewing for a maximum of two days after death.
16. Who will take my body to the School of Medicine?
Upon being notified that the body of the decedent has been released, we will dispatch a professional transportation service to remove the remains to the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Removal will occur as quickly as the funeral service professionals can travel to the location of the decedent.
17. Who is responsible for filing the death certificate?
The Anatomical Gift Program personnel will complete and file the death certificate with the state of Ohio and with the Department of Vital Statistics in the county in which the death occurred. This occurs as quickly as the coroner or the attending physician returns the properly completed death certificate to us. On average, death certificates are filed with the Registrar within two weeks. Under certain conditions, this process can be expedited.
18. How do my survivors obtain certified copies of my death certificate?
Anyone may obtain certified copies of the death certificate from the Department of Vital Statistics of the county in which death took place. Our office can provide you with the locations and phone numbers of Ohio Departments of Vital Statistics. By law, the Anatomical Gift Program is not permitted to provide certified copies of death certificates. Certified copies are required for insurance claims and various other legal processes.
19. How long will my body remain at Wright State?
Donors may remain at Wright State University for as little as a few weeks or as long as three years. Typically, it is our policy to retain donors no longer than three years but retention for this length of time is unusual. If there is something about a donor of special educational interest or research value, that donor may be retained for a longer period. Other donors may serve more immediate needs and be retained for only a few weeks.
20. Where will my body be studied?
The remains of many donors who come to the Boonshoft School of Medicine remain on the campus or are studied in one of our affiliated hospitals. However, other medical facilities have needs that they cannot accommodate. In these instances, we release some of our donors to these institutions on a temporary basis. We unequivocally require that all donors be returned to the Boonshoft School of Medicine for cremation and final disposition.
21. What happens in the event that a registered donor dies outside the State of Ohio?
Should a donor pass away out of state, we will assist the survivors in making arrangements to have the decedent returned to Dayton, Ohio. Alternatively, we will arrange for a transfer of the anatomical donation to a medical school nearer to the location of the deceased donor. This decision is made according the wishes of the survivors.
If a donor to the Anatomical Gift Program is returned to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, the survivors of that donor are responsible for obtaining an out-of-state death certificate, and a burial-transit permit where death took place. Additionally, if embalming is necessary, survivors are responsible for those fees and any transportation costs incurred in returning the decedent to Ohio and the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
22. What happens to my donation if I should move to another city or state?
Should you move to another city or state and wish to remain in the Anatomical Gift Program, please notify us so that we can update your records. If you desire, we can assist you in transferring your gift to a medical school nearer your new residence. If you wish to remain in our program, the same regulations apply that appear in the last paragraph of question 21 above.
23. May I donate someone else’s body such as that of my spouse?
Yes. There are circumstances under which this can be done. However, the law does not permit the donation of another person’s body while that other person is still living. Only after death may the nearest living next-of-kin make a gift of someone else’s remains. Consent forms for the donation may be signed only after the death of the other person has occurred. Our office will assist you with these procedures. The following list indicates those who may make donations of others. Those higher on the list supersede the wishes of those whose relationships are lower on the list according to the Ohio Revised Code (ORC 2108.02 Anatomical Gifts).
Spouse
Adult son or daughter
Either parent
Adult brother or sister
A grandparent
Guardian
Any other person authorized to dispose of the body
Acceptance of the post mortem donation is at the discretion of the director of the Anatomical Gift Program.
24. What if my family objects to my donation to the Anatomical Gift Program?
You are well advised to have the concurrence of your entire family prior to making an anatomical donation. If there is divided opinion within a family, this may preclude an anatomical gift. Please refer to question 23 for the order of persons whose wishes supersede those of others. For example, the wish of a spouse supersedes the wishes of the adult children of a couple. Furthermore, each of the children is co-equal in authority, so all must concur for a donation to proceed. It is not our policy to interfere in family decisions, and in circumstances in which no resolution is forth coming, the donor’s wish to offer his/herself as an anatomical gift is dismissed and the body is remanded to the family for interment.
On very rare occasions, families have been known to force the decision to be adjudicated in a court of law. We most strongly advise against this and will do everything we can to circumvent it.
25. Are the bodies of fetuses, infants and children acceptable for donation?
Yes. Though it rarely happens, parents may donate the remains of their minor children. Acceptance of these gifts is at the discretion of the director of the Anatomical Gift Program, and each case is considered separately. The Anatomical Gift Program will not act as a depository for unwanted abortuses.
26. What happens to my body following educational or research studies?
Subsequent to anatomical studies, each donor is cremated individually by the professional cremation service located at Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio. This service is independent of the Boonshoft School of Medicine and Wright State University. The cremated remains (also called cremains or ashes) are returned to the Anatomical Gift Program. The person whom you identify in Part B of the Anatomical Gift form, or a person whom you identify as a blood relative on the Vital Statistics form will be notified of your cremation. At this person’s direction, we will arrange to have your cremains returned to him or her, or to a cemetery or mausoleum of your choosing.
27. Does the Anatomical Gift Program have a memorial service for the donors?
Yes. There is an annual Memorial/Interment Service hosted by the Anatomical Gift Program as a tribute to those who have aided in the advancement of medicine and the betterment of the entire human community. Family members and friends of the donors are invited to this service that takes place in the early fall each year and is attended by approximately 1,200 people. The date is posted on our web site. Clergy who represent the faiths of all the donors join us in this memorial service.
28. What happens to my cremated remains (cremains/ashes) if my survivors do not wish to have them returned?
If your survivors do not wish to have your cremains returned, they will be interred, at our expense, in Rockafield Cemetery on the campus of Wright State University. This will occur prior to our annual fall Memorial/Interment Services.
29. May my cremated remains (cremains/ashes) be scattered rather than interred or inurned?
Yes. Many, but not all, cemeteries provide “scattering gardens” for just that purpose. This is not an option in Rockafield Cemetery at Wright State University. There are different local regulations regarding the burial or scattering of cremains. Specific questions should be addressed to your local health department or cemetery association. Scattering or burial on private property, without permission of the owner, is inappropriate and may be illegal.
30. Is it possible for my cremated remains to be divided among several of my survivors?
Yes. We will have the division of cremains accomplished by the funeral professionals at the Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.
31. May my survivors visit Rockafield Cemetery at Wright State University?
Yes. The cemetery area on the campus is accessible to everyone at all times except during our annual Memorial Services when visitation is restricted to attending guests. Small vases are provided adjacent to the black, granite monument for those who wish to leave flowers. Interment sites are marked with bronze plaques bearing the year of interment. Grave site decorations must be limited to floral arrangements, either real or silk. The cemetery groundskeepers will immediately remove other items that encourage cemetery destruction by forest wildlife. [See: Map to Rockafield Cemetery.]
32. How and where will my name be recorded for posterity?
The names of all donors are recorded in leather-bound volumes that are housed, and may be examined, in the office of the Anatomical Gift Program in the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Additionally, the names of persons interred in Rockafield Cemetery are recorded in separate volumes.
Memorial bricks can be purchased for $35 by contacting the office of the Anatomical Gift Program and requesting the appropriate forms. The bricks comprise the walkway in Rockafield Cemetery and bear the donor’s name, year of birth and year of death. Purchase of a brick is optional and may be made at any time regardless of whether a donor is interred in Rockafield Cemetery of not. For more information, please call (937) 775-4234. Names of donors for whom bricks have been purchased are recorded in display cases in Rockafield Cemetery. Information is provided to enable visitors to quickly locate the bricks of their loved ones.
Those who purchase bricks will receive a letter of gratitude from the Wright State University Foundation acknowledging the donation.
33. Who is responsible for writing and placing my obituary in the newspaper?
The survivors of the donor must assume the responsibility for writing and placing the obituary in the newspaper. The staff of the newspaper may be able to assist you in preparing the notice. Charges for the obituary must be borne by the survivors.
34. Can financial contributions be made to the Anatomical Gift Program to memorialize participants in the program?
Yes. Financial contributions are gratefully accepted and highly valued. Unless specifically designated, such funds are used to support and expand the many services offered by the Anatomical Gift Program.
Donations may be made securely online through the Wright State University Foundation. On the Foundation web site, under the heading “Your Gift,” fill in the box called “Gift Amount” with your desired donation. Then under the heading “Gift Designation,” select “Other” from the drop down menu. Then specify “Anatomical Gift Program” in the box below. Complete the online form and supply your credit card information.
Those who make monetary gifts to the Anatomical Gift Program will receive a letter of gratitude from the Wright State University Foundation acknowledging the donation.
35. Will anatomical/pathological findings in the donors be reported to family members?
No. We have neither the funds nor a sufficiently large staff to complete and make available written anatomy and/or pathology reports for any of our donors. Medical reports and information about the donors must be obtained from their physicians.
For more information, you may contact us by letter:
Anatomical Gift Program
Boonshoft School of Medicine
108 White Hall
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy.
Dayton, OH 45435-0001
By phone: (937) 775-3066
By e-mail: frank.nagy@wright.edu
By fax: (937) 775-3417 |
