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County approves permanent autopsy assistant position for medical examiner after staffing concerns
Summary
Legislators approved creation of a full-time autopsy assistant position in the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office to increase staffing flexibility and reduce delayed autopsies, county officials said.
Orange County legislators voted March 19 to create a full-time autopsy assistant position (CSEA Grade 11) in the Medical Examiner’s Office after officials described delays and coverage gaps that have interrupted timely autopsy work.
Why it matters: Medical examiner staff told the committee that the office currently relies on per-diem autopsy assistants whose limited hours and outside jobs make immediate coverage inconsistent. Dr. Jennifer Roman, medical examiner and acting commissioner of health, and Deputy Commissioner Lisa Laheed said having three full-time autopsy assistants in the new facility would improve flexibility, allow routine two-doctor autopsies when needed and reduce delays when staff are on vacation or sick.
Dr. Roman described imaging equipment in current use at the facility as a postmortem x-ray system and stressed that the technology ‘‘by no means replaces autopsy’’ because autopsy permits in-situ visual documentation and forensic procedures the scanners cannot fully substitute. ‘‘The root of the word autopsy literally means see for yourself, and that will remain the gold standard in the field,’’ Dr. Roman said.
The committee heard operational detail from Deputy Commissioner Laheed, who said that in 2024 the office investigated 994 deaths that resulted in 319 autopsies and 87 external examinations; year-to-date totals through the previous Friday were 50 autopsies and 13 external examinations.
Vote and outcome: A voice vote approved the request to create the position. Committee members announced ‘‘all in favor’’ and ‘‘motion carries’’ on the record; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
What the county will do: County staff said the new full-time position will reduce reliance on per-diem assistants, allow more consistent autopsy scheduling and help the office manage larger caseloads or concurrent autopsies safely. The personnel request identified a CSEA Grade 11 Step 2 annual salary figure in the legislative packet.
Ending: The committee approved the position. Medical examiner leadership said they will return with operational updates as staffing changes take effect.
