Additional Information and Resources:

• Anatomical Gifts - donating a body or skeleton to science.
• International Transport of a Body:
  • TeamAid.org - provides emergency (non-medical) assistance to people traveling or living abroad that face unexpected life altering situations such as accidents, sudden deaths, or severe illnesses. Team Aid evaluates each situation individually. 
    • Individuals looking for assistance can submit a form at: https://teamaid.org/needhelp or call a coordinator (urgent)  at (844) 611-8326. 
    • Examples of help provided: Arranging cost effective, religious, dignified cremations and burials. Coordinating with family, friends, hospitals, funeral homes, airlines, embassies, and the local community. Financial support when it is needed.
  • Example of process; transport to China (4/17) - After the patient dies the funeral home picks up the body from the hospital. The funeral home is responsible for gathering all necessary paper work (i.e.: non contagious letter from an MD). The patient’s passport will need to be provided. The funeral home will process the death certificate. After all this information is gathered a member of the the Wing Fook funeral home staff travels to the China Embassy in NYC. The Embassy will only process international transports in person and one has to have an advance appointment. The funeral home will need the name of a funeral home in China and the name of the person who will receive the body at the airport. 
    • Estimated cost: Flight - $6,500 (depends on the weight given the body is transported in cargo) Casket – prices begin at $3,000 (the casket must be a metal steeled one) Box - $500 (for the casket) Total estimated cost is $10,000 
    • The family is responsible for notifying the airline to determine if they will issue a refund on the patient’s return ticket. 
    • We are happy to provide any information requested by the airlines (funeral home). 
    • The process is not quick. It will take between 3 and 5 weeks before the body is received in China. 
    • -nformation from Steven at the Wing Fook Funeral Home (617-989-8833) in Boston via Todd Rinehart (thanks Todd), 4/17. 
• Obtaining a Death Certificate

  Note: it may take at least a couple of days after the death for copies of the certificate to be available; after the MD submits the medical piece the funeral home needs to input some information into the electronic death certificate system. It may be longer if awaiting the results of an autopsy.

  Best option- request multiple copies (12 - 15) of certificate through the funeral home at time of planning and service. If need arises later, follow directions below.

  Certificates for those who lived outside of Boston - contact the city/town hall where the deceased resided (typically the clerk's office). The city/town should have a copy of death certificates for city residents who died elsewhere. Other options: if died in Boston may go through the City of Boston Registry (see below) or if died/resided anywhere in MA can apply online via the Office for Vital Records (also below) for a higher fee.

  The City of Boston Registry has death records for individuals who died in Boston and for those whose record listed their residence as Boston.

  To get a certificate via the City of Boston Registry:

In person
Visit Boston City Hall, Registry Division. Hours- Mon- Fri 9 – 4.  
Directions to City Hall: http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/home.asp
The building's 3rd floor entrance is from City Hall Plaza at Government Center. The building's 1st floor entrance is from Congress Street near Faneuil Hall.

By Mail
Fill out, sign, & mail in a completed Death Certificate Request Form: Death Certificate Request Form
OR Send a letter with the following information:

• Full name of the deceased (including maiden name)
• Approximate age of deceased
• Date of death
• # of copies requested
• Check or money order
• Name/Address/Telephone # of requestor
• Requestor's relationship to person listed on record
• Self-addressed postage-paid business size envelope (no returns by Fedex or UPS)

Or order copies online from the State Office of Vital Records- but will incur steeper fees - $50.00 for a first copy, and each additional copy of the same record is $42.00 at this writing. Details at: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/admin/dmoa/vitals/obtaining-certified-copies-of-vital-records-through-the.html

 

• MGH Parking fee waived - MGH Community News, December 2019

 

• MGH Unclaimed Remains Policy - see SharePoint > Policies > Clinical Guidelines > Unclaimed Remains Procedure and Resources (rev 2/17)

   

Logistics for Loved-Ones:


• What to Do When a Loved One Dies - AARP
• Death in the Family - A Guide to the First Steps to Take - To Do list for loved-ones after a death. From CBS Money Watch and New Jersey Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog

 

Consumer Protection:

• U.S. Federal Trade Commission - Funerals:   A Consumer Guide
  --Explains "The Funeral Rule", a law that is enforced by the FTC which protects consumer rights in dealing with the funeral industry.  Provides detailed tips on keeping down the cost of a funeral, a glossary of common terms, a resource list and problem resolution information.

 

• Funeral Consumers Alliance Website

 

• Lack of Transparency in Funeral Costs - MGH Community News, February 2017.