Effingham County coroner presents annual report; highlights autopsy numbers, fentanyl counts and budget performance

Effingham County's coroner presented the office's annual report to the Tax and Finance Committee, summarizing caseload, autopsies, costs and staffing challenges.

Coroner Kim told the committee the office remained under budget for the year and that staff completed calls and notifications in a timely manner. "I'd like to congratulate my staff on a job well done this past year," Kim said, and thanked the county board and community for their support.

Kim reported the office performed 11 autopsies during the year and estimated the county spends about $2,000 for each autopsy when including the autopsy fee, technician fee and related charges. The coroner said there was one fentanyl death in the past year and 16 fentanyl deaths in the last six years. Kim described a broader regional shortage of pathologists; some neighboring counties had limited local autopsy capacity, requiring cases to be sent to Springfield or Bloomington.

The coroner described international next-of-kin notifications handled by the office and listed countries contacted in the last year, including Mexico, Bulgaria, Canada and Venezuela. Kim said toxicology results for suspected overdoses now return in about three weeks after the office changed laboratories, an improvement from prior turnaround times of about three months.

Kim also said the office had sponsored interns, maintained relationships with county hospitals, and saved the county more than $180,000 under budget over the past six years by controlling spending.

No formal committee action was recorded on the annual report; it was presented as informational.

Ending

Committee members asked a few follow-up questions about autopsy costs and the regional pathologist shortage. The coroner said families can request private autopsies if they wish and that the coroner's office reviews medical history before ordering public autopsies.