52:17B-88a Facility where patient died, provision of information relative to next-of-kin to medical examiner.
1. In the case of the death of a resident of a long-term care facility licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), a State psychiatric hospital operated by the Department of Human Services and listed in R.S.30:1-7, a county psychiatric hospital, a facility for persons with developmental disabilities as defined in section 3 of P.L.1977, c.82 (C.30:6D-3), or a facility for persons with traumatic brain injury as defined in 42 U.S.C. s.280b-1c that is operated by or under contract with the Department of Human Services, the psychiatric hospital or facility, as the case may be, shall, in addition to notifying the next-of-kin of the resident's death, so notify the county medical examiner and provide the county medical examiner with contact information for the resident's next-of-kin. The county medical examiner, or a deputy or assistant county medical examiner or investigator on his behalf, shall make every practicable effort to contact the resident's next-of-kin to offer that person the opportunity to provide the medical examiner with information that the person deems relevant to: the circumstances of the resident's death; and whether there is a need to perform a dissection or autopsy of the decedent.
L.2009, c.151, s.1.