Please ask your survivors to call the board at 303-724-2410.
If you are not called back immediately, please call the University Hospital operator at 720-848-0000.
Please click on the Donation Form and follow these instructions:
1. Fill out the form, then print it in triplicate.
2. Sign each of the forms in front of two witnesses. Witnesses must be 21 years or older, preferably someone expected to be a survivor.
3. Return one copy of the Donation Form to the State Anatomical Board.
4. Keep the other copies where they will be available to your survivors.
You may also receive the form by calling (303)724-2410 or writing:
State Anatomical Board, P.O. Box 6511, MS 8501, Aurora, CO 80045.
It is the policy of the Anatomical Board that properly signed and witnessed donation papers be on file with the Board before a donation can be made.
It is important that members of your immediate family know about and approve of your bequest. The Anatomical Board does not attempt to keep track of persons who sign the form, and does not ensure that survivors will respect the wishes of the deceased.
The Anatomical Board is not inclined to accept a body under conditions in which there is objection or dissension among family members who are legally responsible for the final disposition of the body. Donors are advised to notify all persons likely to be concerned of their intentions to make a bequest of their body.
In Colorado, any person of legal age and of sound mind may donate their remains for use in medical education. Any individual under the age of 18 may become a donor with his or her parent or guardian's consent.
There are some conditions which would invalidate a donation:
* An autopsy performed
* A recent surgery
* Accident victim
* Organ (except eyes), tissue or bone removed
* A dangerous contagious disease (Hepatitis A, B or C, AIDS, Jacob-Kreutzfeld, tuberculosis, etc.)
* Emaciated or obese
* Deteriorated after death
The determination of the acceptability of the body or donation can only be made at the time of death, since the cause of the death may render the donation unusable for study. To avoid undue grief and disappointment to members of your family, they should be made aware of these conditions.
No. Age is not a consideration in body donation. Only the conditions described above may make a donation unacceptable.
Because of transportation costs, legal issues and potential deterioration of the body, donations will only be accepted if death occurs within Colorado and Wyoming. Because Wyoming does not have a medical school or full body donation program, we will accept their donors.
Yes. However, the funeral director must contact our office before embalming the body, since failure to follow allowable procedures could prevent intended donation. Funeral services must be at the expense of the family. No publicity will be given out with respect to the donation (e.g. in an obituary), unless the family chooses to do so at its expense.
Relatives may not view the body after it has been delivered to the Anatomical Board except when it is necessary for identification. However the funeral director must contact our office.
No, state law requires both a funeral director and a burial transit permit to accompany the donor when delivery occurs at the Medical School. All donors are transported by a professional mortuary in an ethical manner in vehicles equipped with proper mortuary transportation systems.
Certified copies of death certificates are available upon request from the county where the death occurred. Please allow 15 working days for the certificate to be completed and reach the appropriate county facility (usually the Bureau of Vital Statistics). After 30 days, copies may also be obtained from the Colorado State Department of Public Health, 4300 S. Cherry Creek Drive, Denver, CO 80222. The Anatomical Board does not provide copies of death certificates.
The Anatomical Board encourages everyone to consider donating organs for transplant purposes in view of the great need for such gifts. However, when such donations have been made (except in the case of eyes), the remainder of the body is no longer useful for the purposes of the board and must be refused.
Yes, at any time, by notifying the Colorado State Anatomical Board in writing:
Colorado State Anatomical Board
P.O. Box 6511, MS 8501
Aurora, CO 80045
Most bodies are used to teach medical, dental, physical therapy and physician assistant students, and in the continuing education program for surgeons. Some bodies are used for research, primarily by surgeons to study new operative techniques.
No. The laws that govern the State Anatomical Board require that the body be a gift to the recipient institution.
Every year the School of Medicine holds an appreciation ceremony, the Anatomical Donor Memorial, to honor donors and their families and to allow students to show their appreciation.
In addition, an engraved memorial plaque hangs on display at the Medical School outside the Anatomy Labs. It reads:
In Gratitude: They became teachers in their way, and all have benefited by what they taught
Families can order a name plate from Artcraft Signs (303-777-7771) for approximately $30. When ordering the brass name plate, please ask to speak with Sandy Torres and refer to card file A-22. Artcraft Signs will ship the name plate directly to the State Anatomical Board.
The State Anatomical Board will assume transportation costs to deliver a donor to our program within the Denver Metro Area through our contracted mortuary.
The donor’s family or estate will be responsible for the additional cost of the transportation by the contracted mortuary outside of the Denver Metro area. If the family or estate choose to use another mortuary then the entire cost of the transportation will be the family or estate’s responsibility. The only other cost to the family or the estate is the cost of the certified Death Certificates.
An attorney in fact (person who has legally been given Power of Attorney) for the donor may be able to sign donation papers during the donor's life. Alternately, a spouse or legal next of kin can make a donation after death.
Your survivor or designated responsible party should be informed of the arrangements you have made. You may also choose to inform your family, doctor and attorney of your wishes.
You do not need to include the bequest in your will, as a will may not be read in time for delivery of the body to the university. It is more important to have these instructions readily available on a wallet donation card or donation form and have your survivors be aware of your intentions.
If you are admitted into a hospital, move to a retirement community, a nursing home or any type of care facility, it is recommended that a copy of the Anatomical Gift form be placed on your chart or care plan. When death occurs, the program should be notified immediately by calling (303) 724-2410. Arrangements will then be made to receive the body into our program.
In most instances, there is a time lapse of about two years between the arrival of the body at the University of Colorado and completion of our studies. At that time, the remains are cremated. Unless otherwise specified by you or your survivors, ashes are interred in a Colorado State Anatomical Board plot at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.
It is possible for ashes to be returned to the donor's family or a funeral director for private burial. The next of kin are asked to complete the "Instructions for Disposition of Cremains" form, sent to them following the death of the donor, and return it promptly to the Anatomical Board.
It is important that the person signing this form be the legal representative of the estate. The Anatomical Board allows 24 months from the time of death for the legal representative to notify the Board in writing if their decision has changed. Ashes buried in our cemetery plot will not be exhumed by the Anatomical Board.
No reports are prepared because we do not conduct autopsies. Bodies are used mainly in basic medical education, and no record of pathological findings is kept by students.