Winnebago County to send staff to death-investigation training as medical examiner coverage is reorganized

Winnebago County supervisors discussed steps to expand local medical examiner (ME) coverage and agreed to send county personnel to a Midwest death-investigation course in June as part of a short-term staffing plan.

County officials said the class is scheduled in Ankeny and costs $499 per person; the county has roughly $21,000 remaining in its autopsy and medical examiner training budget. Staff recommended sending three people to the course (names discussed included Thomas Gaither, Joe and Spencer) and said the county would cover class fees, hotel and mileage per county travel policy. The registration deadline for the course is Friday, staff said.

Officials also discussed supervision and credentialing: county staff described a plan in which the new local medical examiners would work under the state-appointed or contracted medical examiner until local arrangements are formalized. County staff said they expected to propose a short agreement requiring trainees to serve for a set period — staff discussed a two-year service expectation — if the county pays training expenses.

Administrative tasks and billing were covered: Jamie (county staff) offered to train the county office on scheduling and paperwork, county staff said. The county recorder will continue to process death certificates; if the state medical examiner report is needed, the recorder's office will direct people to the state office.

Officials also discussed operational contingencies: neighboring counties (Hancock and Kossuth were mentioned) have been informally contacted as potential temporary support while the county builds local capacity. No formal intergovernmental agreements were reported during the meeting.

County staff said they would work with county counsel and human resources to draft a training-agreement template, complete course registrations by the Friday deadline and return with a finalized plan and cost estimates.