Citation

Young DB, McCormick SU, McCormick GM. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 1995; 16(4): 348-351.

Affiliation

North Louisiana Regional Forensic Center, Bossier City 71111, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8599346

Abstract

In the worst possible situation, a disaster results in multiple deaths, requiring the involvement of coroner's and medical examiner's offices. Guidelines offered by the National Association of Medical Examiners and by a national funeral directors' association suggest the use of ministers and chaplains to offer "pastoral" care to family members who have lost a loved one in a disaster. This article offers an example of a disaster protocol based upon national guidelines, but using certified and licensed professional counselors to provide preventive outreach counseling to those family members. Furthermore, this protocol uses a counselor in a key position to provide psychological care to investigative and medical personnel involved in the recovery and identification portions of a disaster.

Language: en