LaSalle County coroner’s office reports rise in deaths, seeks updated mutual-aid agreement and will host needle disposal boxes

A coroner’s office representative told the LaSalle County Public Safety Committee the county is seeing an uptick in deaths and is working to finalize an updated mutual-aid agreement for medical examiner services.

The office reported for March: 1 accidental death, zero traffic-accident deaths, 4 coroner natural deaths, multiple suicides and two overdoses (in Ottawa and Streator). The speaker said the office recorded 118 deaths year-to-date and noted the county was “55 ahead of the curve” compared with the prior year at the same point.

Mutual-aid and interagency coordination: The committee heard that the Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners Association (ICMEA) reviewed and circulated updated mutual-aid agreement language after statewide turnover among coroners. The county attorney is reviewing changes to the resolution language, and the coroner’s office plans to forward a finalized mutual-aid package to the full board for approval. The speaker said the updated agreements are important because neighboring counties’ hospitals and admission patterns have changed; for example, some decedents might now be brought to the OSF Saint Elizabeth campus within LaSalle County.

Needle disposal and internship: The coroner’s office representative said Chris Posey at public health received grant funding to install a used-needle collection box; one box has been installed outside the health department and another will be installed at an Oglesby facility. The boxes are managed by a third-party vendor that monitors fill levels and empties them; the coroner’s office will have keys and cameras will cover the box location. “It’s a good way to get rid of stuff,” the speaker said, describing the unit as weatherproof with wireless monitoring that notifies the vendor when it is full.

The coroner’s office also reported a six-week, non-paid internship scheduled to start May 5, organized through an academic coordinator; liabilities are handled by the sponsoring college. Committee members raised no objections to the internship plan.

Committee action: The committee voted to approve the coroner’s report and to pay the coroner’s bills during the meeting (see “Votes at a glance”).

Ending: The coroner’s office will work with the county attorney to finalize mutual-aid resolution language and bring that package back to committee and then to the full board for signature and implementation.