Unclaimed corpses raise body counts at area hospital!
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - September 24, 2010 - A hospital in Greensboro has seen unclaimed bodies stack up because family members can’t afford to pay burial costs.
WGHP-TV reported the morgue at Moses Cone Hospital has had 39 bodies go unclaimed by family members this year. That’s up from 15 in 2008 and 26 last year.
Hospital pathology director Theresa O’Laughlin says some families just lack the money for burial expenses that often mount into thousands of dollars. Other bodies are claimed after families collect a paycheck or tax refund.
Guilford County will pay for a bare-bones burial if the family can’t, at least until the local government runs out of money.
Economic hard times have meant mounting burial bills for counties across the country.
