Chief Medical Examiner and Postmortem Examinations

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This is Article 1 of the Code of Virginia, titled “Chief Medical Examiner and Postmortem Examinations.” It is part of Chapter 8 “Postmortem Examinations and Services”, which is part of Title 32.1 “Health”. It contains 22 laws.

It’s comprised of the following 22 sections.

§ 32.1-277 Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; central and district offices and facilities
§ 32.1-278 Appointment and qualifications of Chief Medical Examiner
§ 32.1-279 Duties of Chief Medical Examiner; teaching legal medicine
§ 32.1-280 Repealed
§ 32.1-281 Commissioner may obtain additional services and facilities
§ 32.1-282 Medical examiners
§ 32.1-282.1 Per diem medicolegal death investigators
§ 32.1-283 Investigation of deaths; obtaining consent to removal of organs, etc.; fees
§ 32.1-283.1 State Child Fatality Review Team; membership; access to and maintenance of records; confidentiality; etc
§ 32.1-283.2 Local and regional child fatality review teams established; membership; authority; confidentiality; immunity
§ 32.1-283.3 Family violence fatality review teams established; model protocol and data management; membership; authority; confidentiality, etc
§ 32.1-283.4 Confidentiality of certain information and records collected and maintained by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
§ 32.1-283.5 Adult Fatality Review Team; duties; membership; confidentiality; penalties; report; etc
§ 32.1-283.6 Local and regional adult fatality review teams established; membership; authority; confidentiality; immunity
§ 32.1-283.7 Local and regional overdose fatality review teams established; membership; authority; confidentiality; immunity
§ 32.1-283.8 Maternal Mortality Review Team; duties; membership; confidentiality; penalties; report; etc
§ 32.1-284 Repealed
§ 32.1-285 Autopsies
§ 32.1-285.1 Death of infants under eighteen months of age; autopsies required; definition of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
§ 32.1-286 Exhumations
§ 32.1-287 Repealed
§ 32.1-288 Repealed