From staff reports
Discussions of adding a new morgue are alive and well with Bedford County officials.
The new morgue would be added to a “surplus” building which has been planned to store surplus county items.
The need to add a morgue is due to Vanderbilt Medical Center not being able to handle all bodies. They cannot take care of the bodies of those who die out of the hospital.
The morgue needs to be able to have space for a minimum of six bodies at a time with the ability to take up to a maximum of nine bodies.
The proposed morgue is similar to one in Coffee County and has a lift and three-tier rack system to maximize storage.
The estimated cost to add a morgue is approximately a $220,000 increase to the cost of the surplus building.
There are special requirements for a morgue such as cooling systems and
generator backups and it would be a secure facility.
Brian Bruce with EMS explained there are three to four out-of-hospital deaths occurring per week and added the county has responsibility to the citizens.
The department is working with local funeral homes to turn bodies over quickly but occasionally there are unclaimed bodies. There are state statutes that must be complied with, and adequate storage must be provided.
The medical examiner needs to have a small workspace when on site. A record filing area is needed as well as a safe for personal items. A toilet area must be provided for cleanup/sanitation due to dealing with biohazards.
A county medical examiner may perform or order an autopsy on the body of any person in a case involving a homicide, suspected homicide, a suicide, a violent, unnatural or suspicious death, an unexpected apparent natural death in an adult, sudden unexpected infant and child deaths, deaths believed to represent a threat to public health or safety.
All autopsies must be performed at a facility accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). An accredited facility must maintain accreditation and operate pursuant to NAME guidelines.
