Hospital Left Body in Morgue for 29 Days

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The body of a deceased patient sat in a hospital morgue for 29 days and hospital officials failed to notify anyone, according to a report from the state Health Department.
In a report recently made public by the health agency, state surveyors said the body of the unnamed patient was placed in the morgue at UPMC Memorial Hospital on May 18, the date of death, and remained there for the next 29 days.
When family members called the 98-bed York hospital on June 19 they were at first told that the body was no longer there. But a subsequent check showed the body was still there and the family was subsequently notified.
Calling the case a violation of the state Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (M-CARE) Act, the surveyors said the hospital employees acknowledged that they had failed to file any type of event report or to make any arrangements for further disposition of the body.
The complaint investigation concluded the hospital "failed to maintain the security of a deceased body."
"This never happened before," one hospital employee told the investigators, adding they were aware the body had been in the morgaue for an extended period of time.
In hospital records, the report states, an employee had filled out a form stating "No family to inform."
The condition of the corpse had apparently deteriorated and the facility was cited for failure to maintain sanitary conditions."
In addition, according to the report, the patient's belongings had disappeared around the time of the transfer to the Intensive Care Unit.
"No one knows where MR1's belongings went. They went missing," the 10-page report states.
The hospital did file a plan of correction in which they described new procedures including a policy to forward bodies to the county coroner when they remain unclaimed for more than 48-hours.
The plan also calls for employees to notify superiors of any morgue/body hold issues and for education for staff members on the new procedures.
Hospital officials did not respond to questions including the ultimate disposition of the body.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com