Latest news with #HealthScienceCenter
NBC News
16-04-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Horrified Texas lawmakers demand crackdown on body broker industry
Using unclaimed bodies for research is legal in Texas, as it is in most of the country. But many body donation programs have stopped the practice to reflect advances in medical ethics that call for anatomists to treat human remains with the same dignity shown to living patients. Parker's bills would make Texas one of a handful of states, including Hawaii, Minnesota and Vermont, that prohibit research or training on unclaimed bodies without consent. That restriction did not draw opposition at the hearing, but some body brokers raised concerns that Parker's other proposed regulations could stifle crucial training for doctors and potentially lifesaving medical research. The committee heard from two people featured in the NBC News investigation: Kimberly Patman, whose ex-husband, Victor Honey, a homeless Army veteran, was cut up and leased out to medical companies and the Army; and Tim Leggett, whose older brother, Dale's, body was shipped to Kentucky to train anesthesiologists. Both learned from reporters what had happened to their loved ones. 'Victor deserved better. His children deserved better. His country owed him better,' Patman said. 'We're asking for accountability and, more importantly, change, so that no other family has to experience this kind of violation and grief.' Leggett, who learned of his brother's death through a list of names of unclaimed bodies NBC News published, said he thought every day about how Dale's body was treated. 'When does a human being stop being a human deserving of simple kindness and respect?' he said. The committee's chairperson, Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican, appeared aghast. 'These are horrifying stories, and I don't know where we get to this point in society,' said Kolkhorst, who is a co-author of one of the bills. 'It is a darkness here. Your descriptions. Unthinkable.' Parker added: 'It is a darkness, and it's absolutely horrific. It's like a horror film.' The NBC News investigation, published last year, detailed how the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth obtained unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties, then dissected and leased them out. The bodies included those of military veterans, the homeless, people with mental illness and a murder victim. Reporters identified at least 26 people whose bodies were sent to the Health Science Center without their relatives' knowledge. Twelve of those people's families learned details of what happened to their loved one s from NBC News, including from a list of names it published. The investigation prompted the Health Science Center to suspend its body donation program, fire the officials who led it and stop taking unclaimed bodies. Medical technology companies that had received unclaimed bodies from the center said they would change their policies or reconsider their work with the center. Local, state and federal officials expressed alarm and vowed to push for policy changes. The Texas Funeral Service Commission, which regulates body donation, launched an investigation.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A&M Students Participate in 17th Annual Disaster Day Training Simulation
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (FOX 44) — Disaster City at Texas A&M was buzzing with excitement and nerves as students from the Health Science Center took part in the 17th Annual Disaster Day Training Simulation. The event, known for providing hands-on disaster response experience, brought together over 700 students from various disciplines to practice essential emergency skills before they begin their careers. Christine Kaunas, assistant vice president for Interprofessional Practice, education and research at Texas A&M University Health Science Center, emphasized the significance of the event, saying, 'We have over 700 students this year who are coming together to learn about disaster response, practice disciplinary skills, and also practice collaborative skills that will help them in a disaster.' According to Kaunas, Disaster Day is the nation's largest interprofessional, student-led emergency response simulation, designed to prepare students for real-world challenges. Madeleine Bradford, a second-year pharmacy student, shared her experience from participating in Disaster Day for the second time. 'Disaster Day has really taught me that no matter what, you're capable—even if you think you aren't. You might have to think on your feet, and things might come at you that you aren't expecting. But as long as you work closely with the people around you and just have passion for what you're doing, you'll be able to make a positive impact on the community,' Bradford said. Texas A&M partners with national, state, and local entities, along with industry partners, and more to make the simulation as realistic as possible for students. This collaboration helps ensure that participants gain valuable experience in responding to emergencies at all levels. Students acted as both disaster patients and medical professionals while navigating through a simulated train derailment with complications arising from a hazardous materials spill. With military assistance the student patients were rescued from the destroyed areas and taken with the medical professional students to receive care to their wounds. While some students return to the simulation with excitement, first-year students like Marion Posner, a first-year medical student, entered the event unsure of what to expect. 'I'm a little nervous to think on my feet again. This is brand new to me, but I think we have a lot of great faculty and staff who'll guide us and help us on this journey,' Posner said. With each passing year, Disaster Day continues to prepare the next generation of emergency response leaders, equipping them to step up and meet the challenges of tomorrow's disasters. For more information on Disaster Day, you can click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas probes medical school's use of bodies without consent following NBC News investigation
This article is part of 'Dealing the Dead,' a series investigating the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research. Texas state regulators are investigating a medical school's failure to notify surviving family members before cutting up and leasing out the bodies of their loved ones. The Texas Funeral Service Commission notified the University of North Texas Health Science Center on Oct. 18 that it was opening an investigation into the center's body donation program, according to a letter obtained by reporters this week through a public records request. The notice of complaint was issued one month after NBC News published an investigation revealing that the Fort Worth-based center had dissected, studied and leased out hundreds of unclaimed bodies without prior consent from the dead or any survivors. The center's failure to obtain permission from next of kin before using corpses for medical research — and its refusal to immediately release remains to survivors who came forward later — may have violated state law, Funeral Service Commission investigator Rudy Villarreal wrote in the letter addressed to the Health Science Center's president, Sylvia Trent-Adams, who has since resigned. Villarreal also alleged that the center failed to get permission from regulators before shipping bodies and body parts across state lines. The Funeral Service Commission, which regulates body donation in the state, has the power to issue fines against programs for violations. In a statement Wednesday, the agency confirmed the investigation is ongoing. Health Science Center spokesperson Andy North said the center has been 'working diligently to ensure a complete and accurate production' of documents requested as part of the probe. The Funeral Service Commission investigation is part of a cascade of changes and official actions triggered by NBC News' reporting. The news organization discovered dozens of families who said they would have claimed their loved ones' bodies and given them proper funerals if they had been told about their deaths. Some were still searching for their relatives, unaware that they had died. The dead included military veterans, people who struggled with drug addiction and homelessness, and a young murder victim. The Health Science Center shipped many of the bodies and body parts to out-of-state medical schools, device makers and health care education companies — charging $649 for a head, $900 for a torso, $703 for a pair of legs. In response to the reporters' findings, the Health Science Center announced in September that it was suspending its body donation program, firing the officials who led it and hiring a consultant to review the program's operations. North issued a statement last fall apologizing to the affected families. Dallas and Tarrant counties — which had provided the Health Science Center with more than 2,300 unclaimed bodies under contracts dating back to 2019 — ended their agreements with the center. Device makers, research companies and other groups that had relied on the center for bodies — including Boston Scientific and the U.S. Army — canceled or re-evaluated their business relationships with the program. And last week, a Texas state senator introduced a bill to ban the use of unclaimed bodies without consent. In its October letter, the Funeral Service Commission asked the Health Science Center to turn over documents related to the operation of its body donation program and set a 15-day deadline to comply. North said the Health Science Center was later granted a 45-day extension and has been providing records on a monthly rolling basis. So far, the center has turned over more than 1,800 documents, a Funeral Service Commission official said. Separately, the commission sent the Health Science Center a cease-and-desist letter in November ordering it to end its practice of disposing of corpses by liquefying them through a process commonly referred to as water cremation, which the commission said is illegal in Texas. In its official response to the commission, sent Dec. 4, the Health Science Center defended its use of water cremations, which are formally known as alkaline hydrolysis, but said it had already halted the practice in September. This article was originally published on
NBC News
26-02-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Texas probes medical school's use of bodies without consent following NBC News investigation
This article is part of 'Dealing the Dead,' a series investigating the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research. Texas state regulators are investigating a medical school's failure to notify surviving family members before cutting up and leasing out the bodies of their loved ones. The Texas Funeral Service Commission notified the University of North Texas Health Science Center on Oct. 18 that it was opening an investigation into the center's body donation program, according to a letter obtained by reporters this week through a public records request. The notice of complaint was issued one month after NBC News published an investigation revealing that the Fort Worth-based center had dissected, studied and leased out hundreds of unclaimed bodies without prior consent from the dead or any survivors. The center's failure to obtain permission from next of kin before using corpses for medical research — and its refusal to immediately release remains to survivors who came forward later — may have violated state law, Funeral Service Commission investigator Rudy Villarreal wrote in the letter addressed to the Health Science Center's president, Sylvia Trent-Adams, who has since resigned. Villarreal also alleged that the center failed to get permission from regulators before shipping bodies and body parts across state lines. The Funeral Service Commission, which regulates body donation in the state, has the power to issue fines against programs for violations. In a statement Wednesday, the agency confirmed the investigation is ongoing. Health Science Center spokesperson Andy North said the center has been 'working diligently to ensure a complete and accurate production' of documents requested as part of the probe. The Funeral Service Commission investigation is part of a cascade of changes and official actions triggered by NBC News' reporting. The news organization discovered dozens of families who said they would have claimed their loved ones' bodies and given them proper funerals if they had been told about their deaths. Some were still searching for their relatives, unaware that they had died. The dead included military veterans, people who struggled with drug addiction and homelessness, and a young murder victim. The Health Science Center shipped many of the bodies and body parts to out-of-state medical schools, device makers and health care education companies — charging $649 for a head, $900 for a torso, $703 for a pair of legs. In response to the reporters' findings, the Health Science Center announced in September that it was suspending its body donation program, firing the officials who led it and hiring a consultant to review the program's operations. North issued a statement last fall apologizing to the affected families. Dallas and Tarrant counties — which had provided the Health Science Center with more than 2,300 unclaimed bodies under contracts dating back to 2019 — ended their agreements with the center. Device makers, research companies and other groups that had relied on the center for bodies — including Boston Scientific and the U.S. Army — canceled or re-evaluated their business relationships with the program. And last week, a Texas state senator introduced a bill to ban the use of unclaimed bodies without consent. In its October letter, the Funeral Service Commission asked the Health Science Center to turn over documents related to the operation of its body donation program and set a 15-day deadline to comply. North said the Health Science Center was later granted a 45-day extension and has been providing records on a monthly rolling basis. So far, the center has turned over more than 1,800 documents, a Funeral Service Commission official said. Separately, the commission sent the Health Science Center a cease-and-desist letter in November ordering it to end its practice of disposing of corpses by liquefying them through a process commonly referred to as water cremation, which the commission said is illegal in Texas. In its official response to the commission, sent Dec. 4, the Health Science Center defended its use of water cremations, which are formally known as alkaline hydrolysis, but said it had already halted the practice in September.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas lawmaker moves to outlaw medical research on corpses without consent after NBC News investigation
This article is part of 'Dealing the Dead,' a series investigating the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research. A Texas lawmaker horrified by an NBC News investigation into a medical school that profited from the bodies of the poor and vulnerable moved this week to ban the practice, introducing a bill that would make it illegal in the state to perform medical research on a corpse without explicit consent. The proposal is a direct response to NBC News' 'Dealing the Dead' series, which exposed how the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth took hundreds of unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties, cut them up and leased them out to medical device companies, other universities and the Army. Reporters discovered dozens of families who said they would have claimed their loved ones' bodies and given them proper funerals if they had been told. Some were still searching for their relatives, unaware that they had died. Sen. Tan Parker, who filed the bill in the Texas Legislature on Wednesday, said he had no idea what the Health Science Center had been doing until he saw NBC News' investigation in September. The findings outraged and disgusted him, he said. 'Every Texan deserves dignity in life and death, and the right of families to decide how their loved ones' remains are handled must be protected,' Parker, a Republican whose district includes portions of Dallas and Tarrant counties, said in a statement. 'No family should ever have to worry that the remains of their loved ones could be taken, dismembered, and leased out without any effort to notify the next of kin. This legislation puts an end to that practice once and for all, ensuring Texas law upholds the highest ethical standards and respects the dignity of every individual.' In addition to the legislation, NBC News' reporting has sparked sweeping changes: The Health Science Center suspended its body donation program, fired the officials who led it and said it would stop accepting unclaimed bodies. Boston Scientific and other medical device and research companies, as well as the Army, said they would rethink their arrangements with the center and take steps to ensure they would not use unclaimed bodies in the future. Members of Congress sought answers, and officials in Tarrant County adopted a policy to ensure unclaimed bodies were treated with dignity. The reporting also brought answers to families who had been left in the dark about what happened to their loved ones. Tim Leggett learned from NBC News last year that his brother Dale, 71, a World War II history buff, had died alone at a hospital in Tarrant County in May 2023. Without notifying Leggett, the county medical examiner provided his brother's body to the Health Science Center, which shipped his remains out of state to a for-profit medical education company. He applauded Parker's effort to ban the practice. 'There is right and wrong, especially when it comes to how we treat each other, whether it's while we're alive or deceased,' said Leggett, who was finally able to obtain his brother's ashes after seeing his name on a list NBC News and Noticias Telemundo published. 'This bill is definitely another good step in making sure this doesn't happen to any other families.' Leggett and nearly a dozen other families learned what happened to their relatives from NBC News and Noticias Telemundo reporters. Six of those families found their relative's name on the list the news outlets published. Kimberly Patman, who was told by NBC News that the body of her ex-husband, Victor Honey, was cut up and leased out, also said she welcomed Parker's bill. 'I am very thankful for them moving forward so that what happened to Victor and the other individuals won't ever happen again,' Patman said. Honey, a homeless Army veteran who struggled with mental illness, died in Dallas in 2022 without anyone notifying his family. The Health Science Center then dissected his body and leased parts to two medical companies and the Army. After learning of his death last spring, his family buried his cremated remains at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The experience shook Patman, along with Honey's adult children and siblings. 'You can't fully grasp the impact unless it has happened to your family,' Patman said. Parker said his bill would prohibit the donation of an unclaimed body to a medical school or private body broker unless the person agreed to the donation before their death — or if permission is given by next of kin. If adopted, the measure would prevent a repeat of the Health Science Center's actions. It would also make Texas one of the few states to clearly ban research on the unclaimed dead — those whose families can't afford to make funeral arrangements or can't be reached. The practice is legal in most states but is increasingly viewed as unethical by anatomists and leaders in the body donation industry who say doctors and scientists should handle the dead with the same respect shown to living patients. Officials in North Texas justified sending unclaimed bodies to the Health Science Center by saying the deals saved local governments the cost of burials and cremations, helped train students and doctors and supported lifesaving research. But NBC News found that medical examiner's offices in Dallas and Tarrant counties, and staff at the Health Science Center, failed to contact relatives who were reachable before declaring the bodies unclaimed. The University of North Texas Health Science Center built a flourishing business using unclaimed corpses. When Aurimar Iturriago Villegas was murdered, her corpse became a commodity in the U.S. body trade. Libero Marinelli's journey from a hospital to a body broker shows the perils of an unregulated industry. A list of the people whose unclaimed bodies went to the University of North Texas Health Science Center. A disgraced chiropractor found a new job selling bodies, then was accused of mishandling them. Through thousands of pages of documents and data obtained via public records requests, reporters determined that Dallas and Tarrant counties sent about 2,350 unclaimed bodies to the Health Science Center since 2019, more than 830 of which — advertised as being of 'the highest quality found anywhere in the U.S.' — were selected for dissection and study. The center charged medical device and training companies $649 for heads, $330 for a pair of feet and $1,400 for a whole body. The body trade helped bring the center about $2.5 million a year. The dead included military veterans, people who struggled with drug addiction and mental illness and a young murder victim; while some had fallen out of touch with their relatives, their families said they loved and missed them and would have come forward to claim their body if they'd known they were dead. After NBC News shared its findings with the Health Science Center, the school offered condolences to families and acknowledged the problems reporters uncovered. 'As a result of the information brought to light through your inquiries, it has become clear that failures existed in the management and oversight of The University of North Texas Health Science Center's Willed Body Program,' the center said in a statement last year. Parker's bill, which could be subject to revisions as it makes its way through the Legislature, will next be debated in a Texas Senate committee. Parker's office said it was working to get a companion bill filed in the Texas House and hoped to win bipartisan support. Eli Shupe, a bioethicist at the University of Texas at Arlington, said Parker's bill would herald a 'landmark shift' in protecting corpses from misuse. Shupe began speaking against the Health Science Center's use of unclaimed bodies when she first learned of the practice just over three years ago. 'Texas would essentially go from a state that's recently been singled out for ethically unsavory practices to a model for others to follow,' she said. 'Very few states have legislation like this. We would be a real leader in the country.'This article was originally published on
