A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds for a new wake forest BAPTIST health regional AUTOPSY center in WINSTON‑salem.
Whereas, Wake Forest Baptist Health (WFBH) Regional Autopsy Center is currently performing autopsies in space that is inadequate to facilitate current and future estimated volume, presents significant operational challenges, and is not compliant with National Association of Medical Examiners autopsy standards; and
Whereas, in 2018, the WFBH Regional Autopsy Center performed 1,226 postmortem examinations. This number is expected to increase due to the anticipated growth in population and deaths resulting from the opioid epidemic; and
Whereas, in order to remedy this situation, plans have been made to construct a new WFBH Regional Autopsy Center on the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Clarkson Campus, located in Winston‑Salem; and
Whereas, the Regional Autopsy Center will provide approximately 1,760 medicolegal autopsies per year for the 32 counties in western North Carolina which it serves and provide eight autopsy work stations, refrigerated storage for 50 bodies, and appropriate support facilities, equipment rooms, and building support; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation, the sum of two million nine hundred forty thousand five hundred fifteen dollars ($2,940,515) for the 2019‑2020 fiscal year and the sum of fourteen million five hundred sixty‑six thousand two hundred twenty dollars ($14,566,220) for the 2020‑2021 fiscal year in nonrecurring funds to help fund the construction of the new Wake Forest Baptist Health Regional Autopsy Center in Winston‑Salem.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2019.