Funeral Consumers Alliance

I am a chaplain in a hospital and chaplains are charged with releasing the body of the deceased. We have always released the body to a funeral home, but recently a family member requested to take the body. We were unprepared for this and would like to know what rules govern this in Georgia. How do we advise a family? Do they need any documentation. To what extent are we responsible for what happens with the body after the release? Also, I would personally like to know if a person's body can be transported from here to Michigan without embalming. Is there a prescribed container for a transport by air or ground? How would it be aranged?