For Funeral Homes

There is no pre-registration for donors. All body donations are pending until we have confirmed the donor’s end-of-life medical history (this is to ensure donors are suitable for teaching). 

Locate the prospective donor’s “Donor Card” (a small, wallet-sized card that has the donor’s signature, the signature of 2 witnesses, and specifies “Duke School of Medicine” or “Duke University Medical Center”).  

If the prospective donor DOES NOT have a Donor Card, and can no longer sign a legal document (i.e., has passed or is not of sound mind) have the family contact us (919-812-7430) and we will send them an “Agreement to Donation” that the NOK or HCPOA can sign on the donor’s behalf.  

Please have someone (family member, funeral home staff, hospice staff, etc.) send us a photocopy of the Donor Card (via secure email to the appropriate Duke Anatomical Gifts Program team member or Fax: 919- 681-5520) 

Please anticipate a call from one of the Duke Anatomical Gifts Program team members to confirm the medical history. We need to confirm the donor’s height, weight, and conditions present at the end-of-life. Please see our donation criteria (link) to see what else we may ask you about.  

At the time of death:  

CALL A FUNERAL HOME/ MORTUARY TRANSPORT OF THE FAMILY’S PREFERENCE.  

Have the funeral home/mortuary transport remove the body from the death location and keep the donor’s remains in cold storage.  

Call our “Death Call Line” (919-812-7430) and leave an informative voicemail.  

Please feel free to start the donor’s death certificate. Duke Anatomical Gifts Program does NOT have the ability to file death certificates in North Carolina, as we are a “Place of Disposition”.  

Duke Anatomical Gifts does not have their own mortuary transport. Therefore, we will need to partner with the funeral home to arrange for transportation of the donor’s remains (within 3 days of passing). We can cover the cost of the transport if it is a significant financial burden to the family. All other costs (e.g., obituaries, services, urns, etc.) should be billed to the donor’s estate.  

Duke Anatomical Gifts Program will only need a working copy of the death certificate.  

From here, Duke Anatomical Gifts will be in touch with the donor’s family and funeral home on the next business day.