Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Bruce E. Mitchell said today he will allow the UCLA Donated Body Program to reopen. UCLA voluntarily suspended its program in 2004 in the wake of a criminal investigation of illegal activities involving the commercialization of human remains.

At a brief court hearing, Mitchell said he believes the changes made to the Donated Body Program are very good.

"We truly appreciate the Court's acknowledgement of the strides we have made in implementing new standards of excellence in managing and operating the Donated Body Program at UCLA," said Dr. Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor of Medical Sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our program, and all the University of California programs, provide an invaluable public service by enabling California citizens to donate their bodies to support both the education of the next generation of physicians and the advancement of medical science."

After more than a year of analysis and development, the University of California has adopted a new systemwide policy for anatomical materials programs, which UCLA has implemented. Some of the key features of the program include:
· Standard definitions for use in the allocation, tracking and disposition of anatomical materials.
· Information systems at both UCLA and the Office of the President that permit tracking of anatomical materials from the time of donation to the time of final disposition.
· Written guidelines for records management and standards for audit, security, staffing and personnel.
· Systemwide donor forms, developed by the Office of General Counsel, for use by all campus programs to ensure compliance with legal requirements.

Because the legal case in which the program was shut down was a class action lawsuit, Mitchell said he wants the attorneys in the case to notify the class members about the agreement reached between the two sides before issuing a permanent injunction. Mitchell said he would sign revised court papers to modify the existing preliminary injunction to allow the Donated Body Program to reopen as soon as they are submitted to the court; the papers were expected to be filed either today or Wednesday.

After class members have been notified, the court will hold a final hearing before issuing a permanent injunction. Once a permanent injunction is issued, it will be in place for 18 months. If Mitchell and the plaintiffs are satisfied with the way the Donated Body Program is running at that time, the court will terminate its jurisdiction over the program.

"Now that we have the Court's permission, the staff of the UCLA Donated Body Program can begin preparing for the reopening of our facility, said Dr. Allen Nissenson, associate dean for Special Projects and the responsible executive officer for the UCLA Donated Body Program. "Our goal is to have construction - including the installation of security and tracking systems - completed by the beginning of 2006."

Once the construction of the facility is complete, UCLA's Donated Body Program will announce a new Web site where information for potential donors will be posted.