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The Washington State Death Certificate System gathers information about
each death that occurs in Washington State. Similar information is
collected for residents of Washington State who die in another state or
country. Thus, the Death Certificate System contains records on all
deaths occurring in the state and all deaths to residents of the state.
Funeral directors collect information about the decedent from an informant
(usually a family member or close personal friend of the decedent).
Cause-of-death information is generally provided by a certifying physician,
medical examiner, or coroner.
The major purposes of the death system are 1) to provide a death record
for purposes such as establishing inheritance and disposition of human
remains; and 2) to record information about causes of death, injuries,
occupation, and age which can be used by data analysts to help prolong
the lives of residents of Washington state.
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