Governor Proclaims Medical Examiner Professionals Week 2022

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Medical Examiner System is a statewide network of medical doctors, allied medical professionals, and autopsy center staff who devote their time, energy, and medicolegal expertise to the investigation of all sudden, unexpected, and violent deaths in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, medicolegal death investigation professionals, including pathologists, autopsy technicians, toxicologists, chemists, histotechnologists, death investigators, medical examiners, decedent affairs personnel, transcriptionists, case management specialists, administrative staff, medical examiner trainers, evidence technicians, epidemiologists, and research assistants are highly trained professionals who evaluate decedents, circumstances, ancillary testing, data, and evidence to determine cause and manner of death and monitor public health trends; and

WHEREAS, medical examination requires continuous work, and dedicated medicolegal death investigation practitioners and support staff who work weekends, holidays and throughout crises to maintain the highest standards and continuously improve the quality of death investigation; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the North Carolina Medical Examiner System at large, is to inspire policies, programs, and support that improves the health of our communities by providing the best care to every decedent through accurate, scientifically based, timely, professional, compassionate, and high-quality assessments of medical examiner jurisdictional deaths in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, the Medical Examiner System has been challenged with an unprecedented caseload and staffing shortage amidst an ongoing overdose crisis in North Carolina and the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina commends all who serve within the North Carolina Medical Examiner System for their significant contributions to the safety, health, and wellness of our state;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim April 10-16, 2022, as “MEDICAL EXAMINER PROFESSIONALS WEEK” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.