MADISONVILLE, KY (2/22/12)—The Western Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office may be leaving its location in Madisonville, KY later this year, but officials of Hopkins County say the closure could produce a variety of undesirable effects and are urging the state to keep the location operational.
Specifically, Kentucky Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Tracey Corey recently announced that the Medical Examiner’s Office in Madisonville plans on closing its doors permanently on July 1st, 2012. As was stated by state officials, a lack of autopsies performed at the site is the main reason for the decision.
However, the office has been without a forensic pathologist for over eight months, say local officials, and some believe that the state simply wants to move future operations to a proposed site in Louisville, KY.
In response, members of the Hopkins County Fiscal Court voted on and unanimously approved a resolution that opposes the closure of the office.
The resolution, which has since been transmitted to the Kentucky Coroner’s Association by Judge-Executive Donald Carroll, outlines a variety of detriments officials say our area will face without the office.
In total, the office in Madisonville performed an average of 263 autopsies annually (from 2005-2010). These autopsies were completed for 25 western Kentucky counties served by the office. While the counties currently transport cadavers to Louisville, the closure would make this a permanent procedure.
In keeping with these figures—and if the office was permanently relocated to the Louisville, KY area—regional coroners, peace officers, and crime scene investigators would be required to travel an additional 300 miles to perform their services at a cost of approximately $872 per round trip (for each individual). As noted, the trip would mean an additional five hours that our community would be without specific law enforcement members.
Portions of the resolution regarding these costs read as follows:
“WHEREAS, these 25 Western Kentucky Counties will be forced to incur significantly higher costs and financial hardship due to the increased travel burden to the Louisville Medical Examiner’s Office for requested autopsies; and
“WHEREAS, Coroners, Peace Officers, and Crime Scene Investigators will incur tremendous expense related to travel, lodging, and meals attending death investigation autopsies at the Louisville Medical Examiner’s Office; and
“WHEREAS, the taxpaying citizens of each community will be forced to bear increased costs resulting from the closing of the Madisonville Medical Examiner’s Office.”
What’s more, Judge-Executive Donald Carroll noted that families and others associated with these additional processes could face larger costs and longer waits.
In their official resolution, which is mentioned above, the Hopkins County Fiscal Court shows concern over these specific issues and expresses a “desire that the Commonwealth provide interim staffing, and aggressively recruit a Medical Examiner at a competitive salary for the Madisonville Medical Examiner’s Office.”
While presiding during the meeting as a non-voting member, Hopkins County Attorney Todd P’Pool voiced his support of the opposition-based resolution.
“I want to voice my support of the court’s resolution,” said P’Pool. “For law enforcement, having that office here in Hopkins County and in Western Kentucky is vital.”
At this time, concerns regarding the issues may be sent directly to the State Medical Examiner’s Office at 810 Barret Ave, Louisville, KY 40204. They can be contacted by phone at (502) 852-5587 or online by clicking here. Concerns may also be forwarded by mail to the Kentucky Coroner’s Association at the following address: P.O. Box 730, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342.
As more develops, look to SurfKY News for the latest updates.
Luke Short
SurfKY news
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