Coroner says new policy would save time and money

By BETH WHEELOCK Monday, April 20, 2009

In an effort to save both money and time, the Rock County Coroner is proposing on-call coroners keep the coroner van overnight in case they're called to a death scene.

Currently, the coroner van is in use only during regular business hours, not nights and weekends. Coroner Jenifer Keach says the county contracts with local funeral homes to move the deceased from a death scene when the coroner van is not available. She says waiting for the funeral homes to respond to a scene can tie up an ambulance for up to an hour. Keach says the county spends up to $10,000 per year for removal services by funeral homes.

When a body needs to be transported for an autopsy, the county can pay up to $275 for a single call.

The county's Public Safety and Justice committee forwarded Keach's proposal to the County Board Staff committee for further review.

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