Oneida County moving forward with medical examiner system
-->By: Jennifer Lee
Updated: October 31, 2012
Starting next year, Oneida County will be adopting a new medical examiner or ME system. This means that the current coroner system will be abolished and the four elected coroners will no longer work for the county.
In order to be operational by January 1st, the county is looking to hire four part-time positions. Those people will be working for the Onondaga County Medical Examiner, but they will be serving Oneida County.
Earlier this year, the Oneida County Board of Legislators voted to abolish the Coroner's system. Oneida County Executive, Anthony Picente says the ME system will be more efficient and there will be more accountability.
Starting next year, Oneida County is looking to contract with the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office.
"It what was an elected position into a specific qualified forensic investigator position. It's not a reflection of those who have served as coroners. It was the system put in place," said Picente.
Oneida County is looking for qualified Assistant Forensic Investigators to carry out duties in Oneida County, but they will be working for the Onondaga County Medical Examiner.
The County Executive says applicants must be certified with required experience such as a nurse, an EMT or a nurse practitioner.
Officials also say they prefer applicants to live in Oneida County to better serve the people. On top of that, Oneida County is also looking to work out a contract with a company or person to respond to death scenes and take bodies from the scene to the Medical Examiner.
The County Executive says making the switch from the Coroner's system to the medical examiner's system will not save any money, but it won't cost the county more.
"Right now the contract is based on the average number of deaths we experienced over the years. But that can change you never know what you're going to face. But, for this year 2013, we are right in line where we were," said Picente.
Until December 31st, the Coroner's Office will still be responsible to carry out their duties. The Board of Legislators in Oneida and Onondaga Counties still have to vote on the contract.
Details about the application and application process, call Catherine Unger, Director of Operations, at the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office at hlcunge@ongov.net or 315-435-3163.
Duties of position include:
-receive death notification calls for Oneida County and document all reported deaths in the Medical Examiner database
-provide prompt return calls to agencies or persons reporting the death
-establish medical examiner jurisdiction
-respond to the scene of death in a timely manner
-work at death scenes and other locations to gather relevant info about the circumstances of death
-take and file photos for death investigations
-coordinate with other agencies in the death investigation process
-facilitate the disposition of decedents according to predetermined protocols
-promptly complete a death investigation report on all medical examiner jurisdiction cases to allow for accurate and timely completion of death certificates and preliminary autopsy reports
-communicate with families of decedents regarding circumstances of the death and the investigation process
-coordinate scheduling with other area assistant forensic investigators to assure 24-hour coverage
-coordinate with organ and tissue procurement agencies as needed
-testify in court as required
Qualifications include the following professional certifications combined with required experience:
-NYS Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT)
-Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Forensic Nurse, or Death Investigator from another ME/ Coroner system
Deadline to submit an application for this position is November 14th.
Transport Services Contract:
Responsiblities for this contract, but not limited to:
-provide 24 hour, 7 days per week removal and transport of decedents from any location within Oneida Co.
-provide sufficient number of vehicles and staff to remove at least two decedents from two different locations at the same time
-respond within 45 minutes of notification
-provide at least two employees to remove decedents from scenes and emergency rooms and at least one employee to remove decedents from hospital morgues. Vendor employees must be capable of moving heavy decedents up to 250 pounds and/or have the appropriate number of staff and equipment to remove decedents up to 500 pounds. Vendors should not expect any assistance with removal.
-vendor employees must dress professionally and appropriately for scene response
This will be a one year contract, and the scoring criteria and weight are based on four factors:
-experience of personnel, demonstration of understanding, strength of references, and cost
For more information on this position, visit ocgov.net
The deadline is 3 p.m. on November 31st.
