Registration Process

Thank you for considering being part of Northeast Ohio Medical University Body Donation Program.

• A person must be registered with NEOMED’s Body Donation Program prior to the time of death. A donor must be at least 18 years of age.
• To register, complete and return the registration form *. Please note that incomplete forms cannot be processed.
• We will confirm your registration by mailing you a donor card and letter. Please notify us of any change in your place of residence.
• There are no costs associated with body donation for the donor or his or her family. There can be no compensation given to the donor or family.
• You may withdraw from this program at any time. Please notify the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology of your intention to withdraw from the Body Donation Program by letter. Please advise your physician and next-of-kin of your withdrawal from the program.
• Because there are some circumstances in which a body may have to be declined, the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology strongly recommends that you make secondary burial arrangements.

The department will not accept a body that:

• has been embalmed elsewhere;
• has undergone an autopsy;
• belongs to a person who died during major surgery or shortly thereafter;
• has excessive edema (swelling);
• demonstrates severe permanent contractures (permanent shortening of a muscles that cause deformities) of the extremities;
• has any organs or tissues donated at the time of death;
• belongs to a person who has died from an accidental or suicidal death;
• is obese;
• has died of or with a contagious disease;
• belongs to a person who has died outside of a 75-mile radius of the University, unless prior arrangements have been made;
• belongs to a person who has died outside of the state of Ohio, during a national holiday or an unscheduled emergency that required the Colleges to be closed.

In addition, we may not accept a body of a person whose limbs (i.e., arms and legs) have been amputated.  Also, if a relative notifies the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology that he or she wishes to make disposition of the body at his/her own expense, the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology will ask for assurance that the family has arrived at an agreement before accepting or refusing the body.

Because these situations may arise, we strongly recommend that each person who registers with the Body Donation Program also have alternative arrangements.