Parkland is Dallas County's public hospital, at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd., and its main line is (214) 590-8000. It is where a great many Dallas families are standing when someone dies, often after an ambulance ride that started a few hours earlier. This page is the sequence from that moment.
If you want the wider picture rather than this one hospital, read what to do when someone dies in Texas. If the Medical Examiner is already involved, go straight to the medical examiner release guide.
The one decision the hospital needs
When a patient dies in a hospital, the staff pronounce the death and notify the attending physician. Then they ask the family a single question: which funeral home should we release to?
That is the only decision required of you that day. You do not have to choose burial or cremation, pick a casket, set a date, or sign a contract at the hospital. Take the time you need to choose a funeral home — but do choose one, because release is made to a named firm and nothing moves until there is a name.
A hospital cannot recommend a particular funeral home, and neither can the county. If anyone hands you a single name and implies it is the one to use, ask why.
When the Medical Examiner takes the case instead
Dallas County's Medical Examiner investigates deaths that are, in the county's own words, "sudden, unexpected, or have legal or public health implications." The first item on the county's reportable list is the one that matters most at Parkland:
| Reportable circumstance | How it commonly arises at Parkland |
|---|---|
| Death within 24 hours of hospital admission | The most common one. An ambulance arrives, treatment is attempted, and the patient dies the same day |
| Unnatural death, or a killing | Trauma arrivals — a crash, a fall, a shooting, an overdose |
| No physician in attendance | A patient brought in from home with no treating doctor to certify the cause |
| A physician cannot certify the cause | The treating physician declines to sign the death certificate |
| Suspicious circumstances, or a child under six | Investigated regardless of how clear the cause appears |
If any of those apply, jurisdiction passes to the county and your loved one is transported to the Medical Examiner rather than released directly from the hospital. It carries no implication about the family or about the person who died. It is routine, and it changes the timeline rather than the outcome.
How long release takes
Where the Medical Examiner has the case, Dallas County states that release to the funeral home of the family's choice is typically within 24 to 48 hours after identification and examination are complete. Where an autopsy is performed, the county says it is generally completed the day after arrival, and a heavy workload can add one to two days.
You can check the status yourself at the county's portal, dallascounty.org/mepi, or call Investigations at (214) 920-5900, option 1. The county asks families to make arrangements within three days of notification; if you need longer, that is a phone call, not a lost right.
Where the Medical Examiner is not involved, release is quicker — usually the same day or the next, once the physician has signed and we have collected the paperwork.
Who signs
The legal next of kin signs the release authorising the funeral home to take your loved one and the personal property into its care. Texas sets the order: surviving spouse, then adult children, then parents, then siblings. If the person at the top of that list is out of the country or unreachable, say so early — it is solvable, but only if it is known before the paperwork is drawn.
What we could not confirm, and what to ask instead
We will be straight with you rather than guess. Parkland does not publish a decedent-affairs process, a dedicated phone number, or office hours for families after a death — we checked its own site before writing this. What it publishes is the main line, (214) 590-8000, and patient-support services including social work and spiritual care.
So the practical route is the people already in front of you. Ask the charge nurse on the unit or the unit social worker these four things:
- Has the death been reported to the Medical Examiner, or will the physician be certifying?
- Where is my loved one being taken from here?
- Who do I give the funeral home's name to, and by when?
- Where do I collect personal belongings that are not going with them?
Or give us the name of the unit and we will ask on your behalf. That is a normal part of what a funeral home does, and it costs nothing.
What it costs — and what Parkland does not charge you for
The hospital does not charge a family to release a decedent, and the Medical Examiner's involvement does not add anything to what a funeral costs. Our prices are the same either way: $1,750 for a direct cremation, $4,995 for a cremation with a memorial service, from $6,350 for a traditional funeral. The only additional money is the state's own pass-through — $30 for the cremation permit and $21 for the first certified death certificate, $4 each additional. Everything is on our price list.
If paying for any of it is the real problem, say so on the first call. Help with funeral costs in Dallas County sets out the four programs that actually pay.
Frequently asked questions
What does the hospital need from my family after a death at Parkland?
The name of the funeral home to release to. That is the only decision required that day. Nothing is signed at the hospital, no money changes hands there, and burial or cremation does not have to be decided yet.
Why did the Medical Examiner take the case?
Dallas County investigates deaths that are sudden, unexpected, or have legal or public health implications. The most common trigger at a hospital is a death within 24 hours of admission. It carries no implication about the family or the person who died.
How long before my loved one is released?
If the Medical Examiner has the case, Dallas County says release is typically within 24 to 48 hours after identification and examination are complete. If the physician is certifying instead, it is usually the same day or the next.
Can the hospital recommend a funeral home?
No, and neither can the Medical Examiner — the county states its office is not permitted to recommend one. The family chooses independently, and release is made to whichever funeral home the family names.
Who has to sign the release?
The legal next of kin, in this order: surviving spouse, then adult children, then parents, then siblings.
Does Parkland have a decedent affairs office I can call?
Parkland does not publish one. Its main line is (214) 590-8000, and the people who can answer immediately are the charge nurse on the unit or the unit social worker. We will also call on your behalf if you give us the unit name.
Does a death at a county hospital cost more to handle?
No. Our prices are the same wherever the death occurred, and the hospital does not charge a family to release a decedent. The only additional money is the state's pass-through fees.
If you are at the hospital now
Call (214) 550-7369. A licensed funeral director answers at any hour, and we will tell the unit that we are coming, so you can stop being the person making arrangements and go back to being family. Esta guía también está disponible en español.