Attachment__1__SOW.pdf

ATTACHMENT #1

STATEMENT OF WORK

USU MORTUARY SERVICES

Background:

The Uniformed Services University (USU) is the Department of Defense’s only medical teaching university that utilizes human cadavers and freshly donated human remains in its academic curriculum.

In order for the cadavers and donations to arrive in a timely and professional manner, USU requires the services of a professional, licensed, bonded, and insured mortuary services provider/transporter (Contractor). This provider shall be competent and capable of transporting human remains from various places of death to USU, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, (Monday-Friday, during normal business hours). Transfer of remains includes from a residence, hospital, state agency, hospice care facility, nursing home, medical examiner’s office, local airports, and other funeral providers.

Tasks:

Task #1: Anatomical Gift Program:

The USU Anatomical Gift Program allows military veterans and civilians the opportunity to donate their body, or next of kin body to USU for teaching and research purposes, covering a radius of 100 miles from place of death to USU. If the donation is greater than 150 miles, the next of kin (NOK) shall agree to reimburse the Contractor for General Price Listed mileage, and expenses for securing permits to move the donated body across state lines.

The anatomical donation service contractually may cover all expenses* relating to movement of remains from place of death, securing permits, securing death certificates, preparation of remains, delivery of remains to USU, cremation, and delivery of cremated remains to NOK via local delivery, or certified mail.

*Exceptions to this include anatomical donors that expire in states outside of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. If a donor passes away in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey, or if the distance would preclude a 2 hour removal, the Contractor shall subcontract a third party licensee to ensure timely removal of remains will be done within 2 hours of the notification of death. If the third party mortuary service provider requires fees for services, the NOK is responsible for all fees, and death certificates. Prior to any commitment of out-of-state services, the USU Anatomical Curator shall communicate these expectations to the NOK prior to donor acceptance.

Performance of Services:

The Contractor shall transfer anatomical donations to their funeral home, and store in refrigeration, or embalm upon request of the USU Anatomical Curator as needed. Once the Contractor has confirmed that the donor is registered with USU, the Contractor shall contact USU on the next business day, and request a facsimile of the vital statistics form for death certificate. If the remains are not to be embalmed, the following services are expected:

The Contractor provider shall:

a. Secure a signed death certificate and burial transit permit

b. Contact the physician to arrange signature if the death certificate is not signed within 24 hours of death.

c. Obtain basic information from the caller. If the donor is registered, there is no need to request vital statistics.

d. Properly tag all remains identifying: Last Name, First Name, Date of Death, and Location of

Death. The tag shall be affixed to the left ankle, or right ankle if left is amputated. The affixed tag shall be written as:

SMITH, JOHN, C. DOD: 12DEC12 Residence/Hospital/Morgue, etc.

e. Ensure that under no circumstances a removal takes place from a hospital or institution that has adequate refrigeration. Such moves are to be deterred until next day.

f. Ensure that residential removals have two personnel at all times. There are no exceptions.

g. Ensure that nursing homes and hospice units that do not have refrigeration are given a 3 hour lead time to make the transfer.

h. Ensure that if the donor body is located in Delaware, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia, the NOK is responsible for payment of services of the mortuary services provider to secure the remains, and all death certificates.

i. Take human remains into their care, and refrigeration storage.

j. Draw blood from the donor patient heart.

k. Fill two vials (provided by USU) with blood, and store with refrigerated remains until delivery to

USU. The vials must have the donor name, initials of whom drew the blood, and date drawn.

The two vials shall be placed in a sealed plastic bag, and then taped to the chest of the donor prior to delivery to USU.

l. Perform a full body flush of fluids, by injecting a clot inhibitor (B4 chemical (Hydrol Chemical, Carolina Solution, 8 oz., Dodge Metaflow) into the donor brachial artery, and drain fluids via femoral vein. All arteries and veins shall be professionally closed with suture, powder, and glue, in order to prevent further leakage.

m. Place human remains in heavy, leak proof body bags, as provided by USU. Under no circumstances shall body bags be used twice.

n. Contact Anatomical Teaching Laboratory (ATL) to arrange delivery of donor’s remains.

o. Upon delivery, remove human remains and deliver to morgue receiving area of USU. USU ATL staff shall assist moving human remains from mortuary services provider’s stretcher, and transfer to refrigeration.

p. ATL personnel shall sign funeral provider Chain of Custody forms, and visually identify the leg tag, and or hospital ID band upon arrival.

r. ATL staff shall also sign for any personal effects as delivered by funeral provider.

Transportation of Remains:

The following transportation services are to be performed by the Contractor as required:

a. The Contractor shall coordinate the removal of remains as soon as possible when notified of a death.

b. The Contractor shall take possession of the remains at the place where they are located and transport them to USU.

Performance and Delivery:

a. The Contractor shall furnish the material ordered and perform the services specified as promptly as possible after receiving notification to remove the remains.

b. The USU may require the Contractor to hold the remains in refrigeration for an additional period not to exceed 72-hours from the time the remains are removed from place of death.

Permits:

The Contractor shall meet all State and local licensing requirements and obtain and furnish all necessary Health Department and shipping permits at no additional cost to USU. The Contractor shall ensure that all necessary health department permits are in order for disposition of the remains, provide a non-certified copy of the death certificate, and the original burial transit permit. In addition, the Contractor will secure an executed USU Anatomical Gift Program “Certificate of Body Donation by Next of Kin” when requested by USU.

Cremation:

Once teaching/research has been completed, the Contractor shall transfer and cremate approximately 120 bodies, (one or more transferred at a time) and return ashes to the USU Anatomical Curator.

Occasionally, ashes maybe picked up directly from the Contractor, depending on the Next of Kin (NOK) proximity to the Contractor’s location.

Unless specified, or arranged in advance, all Anatomical Gift Donations shall be cremated. The mortuary services provider shall arrange transfer from USU to contracted crematory and return all ashes to USU in temporary container.

a. All cremated remains shall be accompanied by cremation certificate

b. The mortuary services provider shall provide cremation mailer boxes, and bags suitable for local delivery to NOK.

c. Upon receipt of cremated remains, the mortuary services provider shall deliver to morgue receiving area of USU.

d. ATL personnel shall sign funeral provider Chain of Custody forms, for acceptance of ashes.

Task #2: MARYLAND ANATOMY BOARD (MSAB):

At the discretion of the USU Anatomical Curator, whole body cadavers, partial cadavers, various fixed specimens, and human organs, will be ordered from USU via Manager, MSAB. Annually, USU orders 50 cadavers for the School of Medicine Course. The Contractor shall provide adequate transportation to accommodate movement of 50 cadavers. Most cadavers from MSAB weigh in excess of 200 lbs. The mortuary services provider shall coordinate time, date, and adequate staffing to move 50 cadavers in late OCT and then transport desiccated, dissected cadavers to MSAB contracted crematories in May of following year. The mortuary services provider shall also expect to transport an additional 15 cadavers in April and return in August. USU will also order various specimens in suitable containers, in order to prevent spillage and/or leakage. When USU studies are completed, the mortuary services provider shall return all cadaveric material to designated crematory, at direction of MSAB, or USU Anatomical Curator.

Transfer Cadavers to USU:

Over a one year period, the Contractor shall expect to transport approximately 65 cadavers additional specimens of various types, sizes, and weights and 50 human brain specimens (in individual buckets, normally packed in a heavy box, to minimize/prevent spillage and/or leakage from the Maryland State Anatomy Board (MSAB), 201 W. Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

The primary cadaver transfer shall take place during the second week of October. USU will provide the body bags to the Contractor, and the Contractor shall coordinate with MSAB personnel for the bagging, loading, transfer, and delivery of 50 cadavers from MSAB to USU. Historically, the Contractor has arrived at MSAB with 1-2 rental vehicles suitable for transporting 25 cadavers in each vehicle. The Contractor may elect to use their own vehicles(s). AT NO TIME SHALL THE CADAVERS BE EXCESSIVELY STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. The calculated amount for this service should include the expenses to cover rental vehicles if the Contractor opts to use this method of transportation.

Transfer Cadavers from USU:

The Contractor shall coordinate with USU and the MSAB when USU use of the cadavers concludes (May

– June). USU will secure cremation authorization from MSAB. The Contractor shall transfer cadavers from USU to the contracted crematory. USU will ensure the cadavers are placed in cremation boxes (properly labeled) and ready for transportation. Contractor shall provide transportation and significant manpower to load cremation boxes, stack cremation boxes, deliver and offload cremation boxes to the MSAB cremation contractor. This service may occur numerous times between May – October, depending on the needs of USU.

When the USU School of Medicine (SOM) program concludes, the Contractor shall return all cadaveric material to designated crematory, at direction of MSAB, or the USU Anatomical Curator.

Once teaching/research has been completed, the remains will need to be transported to the crematory for cremation, and returned to USU for final disposition. Cremated remains must be incased in a temporary polyethylene urn. If the Contractor utilizes a crematory associated with pet cremations, the provider must ensure their facilities are separate and are not intermingled at any point.

All removals must be accompanied with appropriate documentation – death certificate, burial-transit permit, and other approvals as required (i.e., medical examiner’s stamp); or within 72-hours, when coordinating with the physician for signature.

Task #3: Call forwarding services:

USU seeks Contractor to accept our phone lines daily, covering for after hours and weekend calls regarding anatomical donation. The provider shall contact the USU Anatomical Curator with donor inquiries, or questions about the program.

Death Call services:

When the Contractor identifies that the call is related to USU anatomical donation, the following steps must be taken.

Is the caller:

(1) Calling to discuss a preregistered donor?

(2) If not, the caller must contact the USU Anatomical Director during the next business day to establish eligibility.

(3) If the caller is reporting the death of a registered donor, then the Contractor shall take all first call information and arrange for transfer to the funeral home, for holding, preparation, and delivery to USU within 48 hours. {It is paramount that the Contractor only transfer remains after hours when no refrigeration is available.} All hospital calls will be transferred once the death certificate has been secured.

(4) If the caller seeks donation information, please forward caller contact information and any messages to the USU Anatomical Curator during the next official business day for follow up.

The Contractor shall obtain specific information identifying whether the caller represents an existing registered donor, or if the caller seeks information regarding donation. This criterion is important to ensure that the mortuary services provider does not accept a body that would be unqualified per USU anatomical donation standards.

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that the donor is pre-registered in the USU Donor Program. Occasionally, relatives of the donor may call other agencies, or call USU as a donor referral.

The NOK may have enough knowledge of the donor process and may deceptively convince the contractor that the donor is a USU registered donor. IF A NON-REGISTERED DONOR IS ACCEPTED BY THE

CONTRACTOR, THE DONATED BODY IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CONTRACTOR FOR FINAL

DISPOSITION, AND ALL RELATED FEES.

Miscellaneous:

As a licensed funeral provider, there may be situations that arise, that are not described in this SOW. On a regular basis, we deal with the surviving next of kin, relatives, in-laws, and friends that seek information about our program. We welcome anyone that seeks information about or school and our program, via www.usuhs.edu.