New forensic medical facility goes green
DARTMOUTH — Nova Scotia’s new forensic medical centre will give grieving families better answers at the time they need them most, said the province’s medical examiner.
“It’s the top of the heap, undoubtedly,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Matthew Boews, at the opening of the Dr. William D. Finn Centre for Forensic Medicine in Burnside.
Until now, the Medical Examiner has operated out of a morgue at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax and an office on Spring Garden Road.
“It was not an efficient use of our resources, and not easy when grieving families had to come to discuss the death of a loved one,” said Justice Minister Ross Landry.
The new building has plenty of room for office workers and doctors performing autopsies, in separate areas of the facility divided by a breezeway.
Bowes said the use of fresh air cycled in from the outdoors cuts the risk of airborne pathogens, and staff have reported fewer headaches.
Other green energy initiatives like solar panels, rain water collection and motion-sensitive lighting have the centre on track to meet LEED standards.
And, when a body arrives at the centre, it will stay on the same gurney through the course of its examination.
“By eliminating the autopsy table we eliminate cost, complexity, and the possibility of injury,” Bowes said, noting his staff often hurt themselves while moving a body.
The facility begins autopsies starting Dec. 10.