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HEALTH Medical Examiner's Office The Medical Examiner's Office (MEO) was created within the Department of Public Health by an Act of City Council in 1953. Prior to that, the office of the City coroner had functioned since colonial times. After 1953, the City required a physician board-certified in forensic pathology for its Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner is charged by law to investigate and determine the cause and manner of all non-natural and unattended natural deaths in Philadelphia. Such deaths include homicides, suicides, and sudden and suspicious or unusual deaths, including those that are drug-related. It is the responsibility of all Philadelphia physicians to report such deaths to the MEO. The office decides if it is appropriate to accept or decline a case. Approximately 6,000 cases per year are investigated by the MEO. About 50% of those cases are brought into the office for further examination. As part of the work for each individual case, the office positively identifies the decedent, notifies family members, issues the death certificate, prepares reports and provides expert testimony when necessary to the court. The Medical Examiner's Office operates 24 hours a day, every day. A disaster preparedness program is maintained by the Medical Examiner's Office, in cooperation with other city departments, agencies and facilities, for major emergencies such as an airport disaster. The Medical Examiner's Office offers a Grief Assistance Program (GAP) that assists the bereaved as they cope with the death of a murdered loved one. |
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