Mortuary Response Team Activated For 1st Time In 10 Years

By Madeline Ciak, Michigan Advance

The state has activated the Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT) for the first time since its creation in 2009 to help health care facilities and funeral homes manage the surge of human remains during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MI-MORT is made up of 40 volunteers, including medical examiners, investigators, law enforcement, forensic scientists, chaplains and funeral directors who work together to provide safe and secure transfer, identification and storage of human remains until funeral homes can help families make plans.

The activation came Wednesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has reported that 4,049 people have died due to COVID-19 as of Sunday. Most of the deaths have been reported in Southeast Michigan, which continues to be a COVID-19 hotspot.

Various reports have come out this month as some counties in Southeast Michigan began using refrigerated trucks, setting up mobile morgues and scoping out ice rinks as possible sites to restore remains as their morgues reach capacity.

As COVID-19 continues to ravage the state, MI-MORT has set up a private and secure central collection center to provide security and privacy for patients who died, their families and the local funeral homes.

Timothy Schramm, MI-MORT commander and director of Howe-Peterson Funeral Home in Dearborn, said the pandemic is a challenge for families who’ve lost a loved one and added that they shouldn’t have to worry about whether they can make final arrangements.

“Our volunteers with MI-MORT are dedicated to providing comfort and reassurance that a person’s remains are safe and properly, professionally handled as quickly as possible at every step.”