Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Need for Coroner System Improvement

Some folks are demanding change in Nebraska’s coroner system. Reading this article it is apparent that such change is needed.

Nebraska's county-coroner system tacks on death investigation as a footnote to other jobs…

The Douglas County morgue, where half of Nebraska's autopsies are done, predates "Quincy M.E.," the 1970s TV show about a medical examiner. (Cool, I’d still recognize it, I went to med school and residency in Omaha in the late 70s and early 80s)

A fly strip dangles over the single autopsy table, and paint peels off the concrete-block walls in the 18-by-20-foot autopsy room in the Douglas County Health Center basement.


As the article points out we in Illinois are more professional about the coroner’s business.

In some states, such as Colorado and Illinois, elected coroners have created their own organizations to provide training, guidance and support.


Certainly backward, archaic systems still in existence in parts of this country give the coroner business a bad name. In my office we push professionalism, participation in training, leadership in medicolegal death investigation, and continuous improvement in office techniques (improving current practices and embracing new practices and equipment, as appropriate).

I hope Nebraska shapes up their “act”, I have family there.

2 comments:

TheSkwerl said...

I feel sorry for all the families that will never know the true cause of death of their loved ones. Reading that article, I walked away with the feeling that nobody there cares, that nobody wants change, and the ones that question the methods there are pushed by the wayside. It really smacks of a "don't ask, don't tell" situation, and the government really needs to step up and change this. In this day and age, the words "that's the way we've always done it" really doesn't work.

Anonymous said...

Rebecca,
It is a horrible situation ~ I went to the site a few times now. I even listened to the video.

~ my son passed recently, here in Lake County ~ Dr. Keller has done a wonderful job of posting vital information to the public ~ good or bad this information is real ~ I wonder how many really read this blog ~

I understand what you are saying as far as having the government step up and change all this. I do believe it needs to start at a lower level ~

The community, the parents, the adults all of us have to pull together as a team, gain the knowledge, learn the tools, let the youth know they are important, listen to what they say hear them when they speak to you.

In my opinion the youth have lost the trust of the adults and we have to get that trust back. We need to spend more time with them.

We need our children our youth for our future to survive.

"that's the way we've always done it"
~as you say Rebecca~ just doesn't cut the mustard anymore to me either.

I miss my son ~ his future is gone, but it shall always live in my soul.