Utility of a Grief Services Program for Medical Examiners' Offices

Medical examiner/coroner's ( ME /C) offices investigate sudden, violent, and unexpected deaths, leaving those close to the deceased suffering traumatic loss with little in terms of support and counseling. We investigated a grief services program ( GSP ) at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator ( OMI ) to better understand the needs of bereaved individuals, identify the services provided, and propose our findings as a model for others. A total of 1085 contacts occurred over 1 year, with the majority occurring at OMI (60.5%), followed by telephone (23.1%). Support was primarily provided to those suffering a loss due to homicide (28.8%) and suicide (26.1%). The roles grief counselors play in the setting of a GSP and ME /C office are multiple. Given the frequent utilization of OMI 's GSP and diverse reasons for visits, it is apparent there is a need for GSP s at ME /C offices, particularly given the traumatic nature of deaths investigated by ME /Cs.