Preparing our healthcare professionals for the world as it’s going to be! highpoint.edu/willedbody
Together, Let’s Make An Impact Beyond Life! Thank you for choosing to make the gift of whole-body donation to High Point University’s Willed Body Program. We are a Willed Body Program that is committed to honoring the wishes of the generous donors who seek to provide higher anatomical educational learning, research and medical training opportunities to our health care students and health services’ community. At High Point University our graduate programs in Athletic Training, Physician Assistant Studies, and Physical Therapy, and undergraduate course in Advanced Anatomy are eternally indebted to the donors and their families for their gracious gifts. The opportunity to learn from a donor creates an enriching experience for a student and impacts their learning beyond the classroom walls. With your invaluable gift, you transform into a teacher of irreplaceable knowledge. Your gift not only provides lessons in anatomical structures of the human body, it helps develop our students with the mindset of putting their patient’s needs first. Your gift has the power to teach our students the true meaning of respect and dignity for a patient and turn learned ethics into honorable actions. It is through your priceless gift that our students will continue to develop into exceptional patientcentered health care providers. The gift of one’s body for anatomical education and research provides many avenues for the advancement of health sciences that reach far beyond our students. High Point’s community of health care professionals have the unique opportunity to form an interprofessional relationship with the Willed Body Program and its donors. Through this partnership, that fosters innovative research and advanced clinical studies, we promise to create and bring forth the best patient-centered health care today, tomorrow and forever. The information in this guide is provided to support you and your family in the choice to make An Impact Beyond Life.
WHO CAN DONATE? UNDER THE REVISED UNIFORM ANATOMICAL GIFT ACT OF NORTH CAROLINA SUBJECT TO GENERAL STATUTES: § 130A-412.6 - Any competent person 18 years or older can will his or her body to High Point University’s Willed Body Program. § 130A-412.11 - Any person legally authorized to make an anatomical gift of a decedent’s body* can donate the body of their loved one to High Point University’s Willed Body Program. * N.C.G.S. § 130A-412.11 provides for the following classes of persons to donate a body for educational purposes in order of priority listed:
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An agent of the decedent to the extent authorized under a power of attorney for health care or other record who could have made such a donation during the deceased’s life
➋ The spouse of the decedent ➌ Adult children of the decedent ➍ Parents of the decedent ➎ Adult siblings of the decedent ➏ Adult grandchildren of the decedent ➐ Grandparents of the decedent ➑ An adult who exhibited special care and concern for the decedent
➒ The persons who were acting as the guardians of the person of the decedent at the time of death
➓ Any person having the authority to dispose of the decedent’s body
REVOKING A DONATION Pursuant to N.C.G.S. §130A-412.12 & N.C.G.S. §130A412.11 a donor or a person legally authorized to make a donation may revoke an anatomical gift at any time prior to death in writing and by submitting the revocation to High Point University’s Willed Body Program. Upon receiving the written revocation, the decision to revoke the gift takes place immediately, and the Willed Body Program will remove the donors name from the active donor registry. Once procedures to prepare a donor for the program begin, a donation cannot be revoked by any survivors or authorized person(s), and no contractual terms of the document of gift can be changed.
What Are The Criteria To Be A Donor? High Point University’s Willed Body Program is a whole-body donation program. Organ and tissue donation, other than the donation of eyes for corneal transplantation, will make a donor unsuitable for our program. To become a donor an individual must not carry any infectious communicable disease, such as, but not limited to;
THE COST TO DONATE
• Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C • HIV/AIDS • Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease • Tuberculosis • MRSA • Syphilis To become a donor an individual cannot have any of the following medical or physical conditions at time of death, such as, but not limited to; • Emaciation or obesity • Extensive burns or trauma • Advanced decomposition • Autopsy by Medical Examiner
ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS High Point University reserves the right, at any time, to decline a donation that does not meet the criteria for acceptance into the Willed Body Program. The final decision to accept a gift is at the sole discretion of the Willed Body Program. High Point University highly advises donors, donor families, or authorized person(s) to have alternative arrangements should a donor not meet the criteria of our program upon death.
CONTACT US For more information, to talk directly with our staff, or to visit our campus, please contact the Willed Body Program by phone at 336-841-LIFE (5433) or by email at impactlife@highpoint.edu. To visit our website or to download our forms please go to highpoint.edu/willedbody
High Point University’s Willed Body Program is committed to making the choice to donate stress free for you and your family. For this reason, we will cover the cost of the following: • Transportation (within 300 miles*) to our on-campus Care Center • Filing of the death certificate and burial transit permit • Preparation for donation and cremation upon completion • An urn that the cremated remains are placed into following cremation • Interring cremated remains in the Willed Body Program’s Memorial Garden • Scattering the cremated remains at sea in the Atlantic Ocean • Returning cremated remains by certified mail through the United States Postal Service *If a death occurs outside of a 300 mile radius of High Point University, High Point, North Carolina, the Willed Body Program reserves the right to: ACCEPT a gift after confirming that the designated representative(s) will be financially responsible for any additional mileage needed to secure the transportation to High Point University’s Willed Body Program. ARRANGE for a gift to be used by another Willed Body Program that is closer to the place of death. DECLINE to accept a gift. Every effort will be made to accept and use an anatomical gift that has been donated to the Willed Body Program.
“Thank you to all of our ‘teachers’ who have so generously given the gift of preparing our health care professionals for the world as it is going to be.”
How Will My Gift Be Used? By completing and signing a Document of Gift form the donor, or authorized person(s), gives High Point University’s Willed Body Program the exclusive right to control the use of the anatomical gift in a manner to be determined at the acceptance of the donor, pursuant to the policies and procedures that are in effect at the time of death or as they may be revised thereafter. TRANSFERRING A GIFT The Willed Body Program reserves the right to transfer a gift to another educational institution for enhancing health sciences through educational instruction, research and medical training methods. RETAINING FOR USE The Willed Body Program reserves the right to preserve and retain individual tissues and organs or parts of interest for future educational needs for an undetermined amount of time. After anatomical specimens are no longer suitable for studies, they will be cremated and either interred in the Willed Body Program’s Memorial Garden or scattered at sea. SEROLOGY TESTING Prior to full acceptance into the Willed Body Program a serology (blood) test will be performed to determine if any contagious diseases are present at time of death.
THE CREMATION PROCESS
Following the completion of studies, High Point University’s Willed Body Program will contract with a locally operated and licensed crematory for the transportation of the donor to their facility and for the donor’s individual cremation. Prior to cremation any pacemaker, defibrillator, radioactive device, or any other electronic device implanted in the donor’s body will be removed and disposed of according the applicable laws at the time. After cremation, the cremated remains will be processed according to the practice of the crematory. Such processing includes removing and discarding foreign matter such as, dental work or prostheses that remain after cremation. The remaining cremated remains will then be returned to High Point University’s Willed Body Program for final disposition. The Willed Body Program will NOT return the body of a donor for burial.
HOW LONG IS A DONATION USED? Generally, the Willed Body Program retains a donor’s remains for a period of three weeks to two years before cremation occurs and final disposition is made. PHOTOS & VIDEO The Willed Body Program reserves the right to create photographic, video, or media images of a whole-body gift or parts of a gift. The Willed Body Program will insure that all images are de-identified to retain the respect and dignity of the donor. EMBALMING Gifts that are accepted into the Willed Body Program may be chemically preserved (embalmed) at our on-campus Care Center for educational learning or research; or may not be embalmed and used for medical and clinical research.
Final Disposition Selections. Following the return of cremated remains from the contracted crematory, the Willed Body Program will review the signed document of gift form and follow instructions to either: ➊ INTER
Inter the cremated remains in the Willed Body Program’s Memorial Garden located at High Point University.
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RETURN Return the cremated remains to the appointed representative(s) in the order listed in the document of gift.
SCATTER AT SEA Scatter the cremated remains at sea in the Atlantic Ocean. This will take place at a time determined by the Willed Body Program.
Return of cremated remains will be done by certified mail through United States Postal Service, or through a scheduled appointment with the Willed Body Program.
Upon completion, the Willed Body Program will mail a letter to the appointed representative(s) with the coordinates that the donor’s cremated remains were scattered.
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NOTIFICATION OF APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE
HONORING OUR DONORS BEYOND THEIR GIFT
The appointed representative(s) will be notified by phone when a donor’s cremated remains are available. If, after 30 days, there is no response, a letter of notification will be sent by certified mail.
Every student, faculty, staff member, and esteemed member of the health sciences community understands the importance of these charitable gifts and the value they bring to advancing health sciences. For these reasons, High Point University’s Willed Body Program developed unique ways to honor EVERY donor.
After 90 days from the date of notification by certified mail, the Willed Body Program will notify the next appointed representative in the same manner as describe above, and so on. If, after two years, the remains are not retrieved by an appointed representative, High Point University reserves the right to inter the cremated remains in the Willed Body Program’s Memorial Garden or scatter them in the Atlantic Ocean.
ANNUAL MEMORIAL SERVICE To show our reverence and to thank our generous donors, their family and friends, the Willed Body Program invites all to join us at our annual memorial service. During the service students, faculty, and the community will have an opportunity to express what each gift meant to them. It is our hope that comfort and peace will touch the hearts of all who attend. TREE OF LIFE Located on the wall before you enter the Anatomy Laboratory is an 8’3” tall Tree of Life. Each donor has the option to have their name, or “anonymous”, inscribed on a leaf that adorns the tree. MEMORIAL GARDEN Located between Congdon Hall and Wanek School of Undergraduate Sciences will be our dedicated memorial garden. Family and friends are invited any day of the year to come, sit and reflect in a place of quiet beauty and spiritual reassurance.
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” ~Henry Melvill
The Use of Personal Information. To increase the educational, research, and scientific value of a donation, High Point University’s Willed Body Program reserves the right to release a donor’s de-identified medical and social history information with students, educators, staff and researchers who will use the information to further the advancement of health sciences. The use of personal information, such as a donor’s name, social security number and date of birth will only be used in filing the necessary legal documents required by federal, state and local government agencies for reporting a death, reporting communicable diseases, and for use by the contracted crematory upon completion of studies. DEATH CERTIFICATES If no funeral home is used, High Point University’s Willed Body Program will file an original certificate of death with the Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred. Certified copies of the death certificate can be obtained from the Register of Deeds where the certificate was filed. The Register of Deeds per county can be found at: https://www.ncard.us/find-your-register-of-deeds/ SOCIAL SECURITY If no funeral home is used, High Point University’s Willed Body Program will notify the Department of Social Security of the death. It is the responsibility of the authorized representative(s) to contact Social Security to file for any benefits.
PERSONAL EFFECTS High Point University’s Willed Body Program will collect any personal effects that arrives to our Care Center with a donor and place all personal effects in a secure area. The Willed Body Program will contact the authorized representative(s) for retrieval of personal effects or to confirm the disposal of personal effects. If personal effects have not been retrieved within one year after being mailed a notice by certified mail, High Point University’s Willed Body Program will dispose of the personal effects in a manner suitable for the disposition of the effects.
WHAT TO DO AT TIME OF DEATH Upon the death of a donor, or potential donor, High Point University’s Willed Body Program should be notified at 336-841-LIFE (5433) to determine if the donor is, or remains, a candidate for our program. Our dedicated staff, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, will review the requirements for acceptance. Upon acceptance, the Willed Body Program will coordinate the transportation of the donor at the place of death to our on-campus Care Center, no more than 24 hours after death unless authorization has been given by the Willed Body Program to allow for additional time. All notifications of death should occur no more than 24 hours after death to ensure that the wishes of a donor can be met and that other arrangements can be made should a donor not be accepted. If a donor is located at a funeral home please have the Funeral Director call the Willed Body Program to schedule transfer into our care. Any additional services selected at the funeral home will be at the expense of the individual(s) selecting the services. High Point University is not responsible for additional services that are outside the scope of our agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHOLE-BODY DONATION AND ORGAN DONATION? Whole-body donation is when a donor wills his or her entire or whole-body to a university, medical school, or other program. Organ donation is when a donor wills their organs for use in transplantation, medical, or clinical research. CAN I DONATE MY BODY IF I AM AN ORGAN DONOR? No. High Point University’s Willed Body Program is a wholebody donation program. Organ and tissue donation, other than the donation of eyes for corneal transplantation, will make a donor unsuitable for our program.
a gift to another educational institution located in North Carolina for enhancing health sciences through educational instruction, research and medical training methods. HOW LONG WILL A GIFT BE RETAINED BY THE WILLED BODY PROGRAM? Generally, the Willed Body Program may retain a donor’s remains for a period of three weeks to two years before cremation occurs and final disposition is made. ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES TO CREMATION? No. Due to the advanced nature of our studies, the Willed Body Program will not return the body of a donor for burial.
WILL MY FAMILY RECEIVE ANY COMPENSATION FOR MY DONATION? No. By law, it is illegal for a willed body/anatomical donation program to purchase whole-body or parts of a body for education or medical research.
CAN YOU MAIL A DONOR’S CREMATED REMAINS TO AN APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE? Yes. The appointed representative may choose to have the donor’s cremated remains shipped to them by certified mail through the United States Postal Service.
SHOULD I INCLUDE MY CHOICE TO DONATE MY BODY TO HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY IN MY WILL? In many cases a will might not be read for several days or months following a donor’s death. This would cause the notification of the donor’s death to be delayed. Because of the nature of the donation, we ask that a donor be transferred into our care within 24 hours after death. It is more effective to share your wishes to donate with family, an authorized agent, primary care physician and even your clergy.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY PERSONAL EFFECTS? High Point University’s Willed Body Program will collect any personal effects that arrives to our Care Center and place all personal effects in a secure area. We will contact the authorized representative(s) to return the personal effects either by certified mail through the United States Postal Service or by a scheduled appointment with the Willed Body Program.
HOW ARE DONATED BODIES USED AND WHO HAS ACCESS TO THEM? High Point University’s Willed Body Program strongly believes in the numerous medical advancements and patient care benefits that develop from the generous gift of whole-body donation. For this reason, we believe that higher education should never stop but continue throughout one’s life. Below are just some examples of how the gift of donation can make a lasting impact on our students and on our health sciences community. • Educating our graduate students in Athletic Training, Physician Assistant Studies, and Physical Therapy, and our undergraduate Advanced Anatomy students with exceptional knowledge and dynamic understanding of the human body. • Advancing new physical and medical techniques or devices for sustainable patient health care by our local health care community of doctors, nurses, physicians, physicians assistants, and other medical professionals. • Developing cutting-edge medical training for our emergency responders, military professionals and more. CAN ANOTHER INSTITUTION IN NORTH CAROLINA USE MY BODY IF I WILL IT TO HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY? Yes. The Willed Body Program reserves the right to transfer
CAN CREMATED REMAINS BE EXHUMED FROM HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY’S MEMORIAL GARDEN? No. Donors whose studies are complete and chose burial in our memorial garden will be interred each year prior to our annual memorial service. To honor their wishes a donor’s remains cannot be exhumed from the burial plot. CAN A REPORT OF MEDICAL FINDINGS OR DETAILS OF SPECIFIC STUDIES BE RELEASED TO AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE UPON COMPLETION OF STUDIES? No. The Willed Body Program will not report any medical finding or details of specific studies that were related to the donor to an authorized representative and cannot amend a death certificate due to any findings during studies. WHAT HAPPENS IF AN INDIVIDUAL DID NOT PREREGISTER WITH THE PROGRAM? If an individual was not registered with the program the person(s) with highest authority to legally make an anatomical donation must complete a Document of Gift by Legally Authorized Person form, and submit the form along with all required signatures to High Point University’s Willed Body Program prior to full acceptance into the program. This process can be done electronically or in person.
Frequently Asked Questions Continued. WHAT HAPPENS IF A DONOR DIES AFTER NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS OR ON THE WEEKEND? Our dedicated staff is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. At the time of death High Point University’s Willed Body Program should be notified at 336-841-LIFE (5433) to determine if the donor is, or remains, a candidate for our program. Upon acceptance, we will coordinate for the transportation of the donor at place of death to our on-campus Care Center for anatomical preparation for the program. WHAT DO I DO IF MY LOVED ONE IS ALREADY LOCATED AT A FUNERAL HOME? If a donor has died and is located at a funeral home please have the Funeral Director call the Willed Body Program to schedule the transfer of the donor into our care. High Point University will not be financially responsible for any fees incurred by the donor’s appointed representative(s) that is outside the scope of our agreement. CAN A PUBLIC VIEWING OR FUNERAL SERVICE BE HELD BEFORE THE DONOR’S BODY IS DELIVERED TO HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY? No. Because we want to uphold the wishes of the donor, it is not possible to have a public viewing or funeral service prior to donation to High Point University. All donations must be transferred into our care within 24 hours of the donor’s death. If the donor is located at a funeral home and the family wishes to have a private viewing of the donor prior to transportation to High Point University, the family can do so as long as the funeral home is in compliance with the donor’s wishes, and transportation is made to the University in a timely manner. All additional services selected by the family at a funeral home will be at the expense of the family. High Point University is not responsible for additional charges.
CAN MY REMAINS BE VIEWED AT THE WILLED BODY PROGRAM FACILITY? No. If this is the wish of the family, please contact your local funeral home to assist you with viewing arrangements prior to transportation to High Point University. All donors must be transferred into our care within 24 hours of the donors passing. CAN A MEMORIAL SERVICE BE HELD FOR THE DONOR? Yes. We encourage families to hold a memorial service either at a selected funeral home of choice, or at a destination that was special to the donor. High Point University will hold an annual memorial service, but we still encourage families to hold their own celebration of life. All additional services selected by the family at a funeral home will be at the expense of the family. High Point University is not responsible for additional charges. DOES HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY’S WILLED BODY PROGRAM PROVIDE CERTIFIED COPIES OF THE DEATH CERTIFICATE? No. If no funeral home is used, High Point University’s Willed Body Program will only file an original certificate of death with the Register of Deeds as required by law. Family may purchase certified copies of the death certificate by contacting the Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred. HOW DO I GET A CERTIFIED COPY OF THE DEATH CERTIFICATE? A person can obtain certified copies from the Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred. The Register of Deeds for each county can be found at: https://www.ncard.us/findyour-register-of-deeds/. If you are unsure of which county the death occurred, please call us at 336-841-LIFE (5433) and we will be happy to provide you with the information.
Congdon School of Health Sciences Willed Body Program-D71 One University Parkway, High Point, North Carolina 27268-0001 Phone: 336-841-(LIFE)5433 | Fax: 336-888-3695 | Email: impactlife@highpoint.edu | highpoint.edu/willedbody