Grief and Support Services

While the death of a loved one is extremely difficult for many people, individuals grieve in different ways and there is no "right" way to grieve. In our experience we have learned that family members often feel that they are "going crazy" as they try to cope with an unexpected death.

Your feelings are probably those of a normal person having normal responses to an abnormal situation. However, it is almost always helpful to talk with someone about the intense grief reactions that follow the loss of a loved one, whether it is with other family members, friends, clergy, or a local grief support group. Below you will find information for the community mental health centers located around the state as well as additional grief resources.

Under New Hampshire law, there is mandatory reporting of medico-legal deaths. In general, all sudden and unexpected natural deaths and all non-natural deaths should be reported to the OCME. These deaths are defined by RSA 611-B:11.

If in question, please report the death to the OCME. (Note: When the OCME accepts jurisdiction for a death, only the pronouncement section of the death certificate should be completed by hospital staff. The certification section, including cause of death, will be completed by the OCME.)

The Chief Medical Examiner (CME), Deputy Chief Medical Examiner (DCME), and Associate Medical Examiner (AME) are licensed physicians certified by the American Board of Pathology in forensic pathology. They perform or oversee all of the autopsies conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).

In addition to the office-based staff, OCME personnel include field-based Assistant Deputy Medical Examiners (ADMEs). ADMEs are skilled and knowledgeable in the science of medicine and are appointed, trained, and supervised by the OCME to conduct death scene investigations.

To report a death, please contact the appropriate county dispatcher listed below:

 

Office of Chief Medical Examiner