EDA's Indigent Disposition Database Launch

Each year, in the U.S, thousands of people are not able to achieve disposition (burial, cremation, etc) via the private funeral industry, whether due to financial reasons, frayed family relations, or no known next-of-kin. The Regional Indigent Disposition Database tracks the programs that handle the remains of these people in regions across the U.S. These agencies provide services that can be state-wide, county-wide, or city-wide. 

This fledgling database was compiled by a group of volunteers who called their local coroners and medical examiner offices, and researched alternative funding options. It reflects information for over 50 different locations across the U.S. and is designed to function as a wiki, where users can submit new records and updated information to continue to expand and improve the data.

The creation of this database was made possible by funding from a Good Death Fellowship, a grant given by the Order of the Good Death to projects working…