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The Acute Bereavement Services (ABS) team includes
Pastoral Care, Nursing Resource Coordinators and Donate Life Services,
who work in collaboration with the health-care team to provide care
to the dying patient and family. The ABS staff meets the federal
regulations regarding mandatory reporting of all deaths to the State
Organ Procurement Organization.
Bereavement care includes offering emotional,
physical and spiritual support to families, assisting with personal
belongings, coroner notification, explaining autopsy options, initiation
of the organ and tissue donation process and providing information
related to funeral arrangements.
Assistance with Personal Belongings and Funeral
Home Information
The ABS coordinators oversee the recording and transfer of patient belongings
to the appropriate family member. Experienced with the protocols of Midwest
funeral homes, the ABS coordinators can assist families and reduce the
stress of initiating the burial process. They can also provide information
about other burial options both locally and across state boundaries.
Autopsy Options
The ABS coordinators offer the option of autopsy to all family
members as a service to The Nebraska Medical Center patients. The
Clinical Abstract for Autopsy form is a comprehensive autopsy and
research form that facilitates a family's wish for autopsy and formally
requisitions Pathology Services.
Coroner Notification
and Death Certificate Initiation
The ABS team is responsible for obtaining
specific information required by the coroner's office.
It is presented in a clear and concise format to assist
the coroner's office in expediting his/her investigation
in all cases under his jurisdiction. The Funeral Home
Information form is initiated by the ABS team and transferred
with the deceased to the funeral home to assist the funeral
home directors in completing the death certificates in
a timely manner.
Organ and Tissue Donation Option
The ABS team ensures that the hospital's obligation
and the patient's wishes regarding organ and tissue donation are
met through an informed consent process. At the time of death, each
family is given the option to participate in the organ and tissue
donor program. When donation is not an option due to medical criteria,
families are counseled on the reason why they were unable to donate.
A member of the ABS team is available to guide the family through
the donation process. The core team of ABS professionals has completed
specific training, which meets federal guidelines and assists the
medical staff and bereaved families in making educated decisions
about organ and tissue donation. If you are a physician and have
questions specific to declaration of brain death, donor management
or potential suitability for organ and tissue donation, please contact
the Nebraska Medical Center Organ Recovery Coordinator on call through
the hospital operator.
Pastoral Care (402) 552-3219
Organ Recovery Services, (402) 559-9566
Acute Bereavement Services, Organ Recovery Services
(800) 95-ORGAN, (800) 956-7426
The Nebraska Medical Center (800) 922-0000
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