Morgue

From Guide to YKHC Medical Practices

Morgue

There are no funeral homes in Bethel. Bodies of patients who die at YKDRH are held in the hospital morgue until transported to the village or buried in Bethel

Law Enforcement (Bethel Police Department and State Troopers) also bring bodies to the hospital morgue, awaiting transport to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for an autopsy. Priority use of the morgue belongs to the hospital. Law Enforcement agencies are responsible for finding their own alternate storage space when the morgue is full.

Families of the deceased visit the morgue for viewing and preparing the body for burial. The morgue can accommodate two bodies and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

No autopsies are performed in Bethel. Hospital Social Services is available to assist as needed 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.