Ada County coroner’s office outlines training, staffing and revenue plans as state system gaps persist

Ada County coroner’s office leadership briefed the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 10 about staff supports, training plans and possible revenue-generating services as the county manages a growing caseload.

"We are helping with the other coroners in the state work about some changes with legislature since our statutes haven't been updated," said the deputy director of the Ada County Coroner's Office, noting the county is preparing legislative proposals in response to findings in the state OPE (Office of Performance Evaluations) report. The deputy director said the office is launching programs to support staff who are repeatedly exposed to traumatic scenes (referred to in the meeting as PTSI/PTSD programs) and is preparing physicians to read computed-tomography (CT) scans to reduce the need for autopsies in clear cases.

The coroner’s office also said it is exploring revenue streams that would not be ongoing taxpayer subsidies: discussions include providing services to a tissue‑donor network, offering anthropology services and charging for mass‑fatality training and mutual‑aid forensic services to neighboring counties that lack forensic capacity. The office is working with a medical-school affiliation (ICOM) and noted a recent pathology trainee with forensic interests who may return to practice in Idaho.

Bonneville County was cited as a county with a facility that could be activated to provide regional forensic services more locally; Ada County staff said they are in talks to help staffing and start-up efforts. "They actually have a facility that they're not utilizing," the deputy director said. "With the appointment of the new coroner, I've reached out to her and said, look, you have the ability to do forensic autopsies there." The deputy director characterized the county’s goal as building capacity statewide rather than centralizing all work in Ada County.

Why it matters: Ada County reported rapid population growth and an expanding caseload; the coroner's office said statewide oversight and funding gaps leave many Idaho counties without nationally recommended forensic standards or staffing. Ada County leaders said they intend to propose statutory and funding changes and to expand in‑house clinical capabilities to improve timeliness and quality of death investigations.

The coroner’s office did not present legislation to the board for a vote; rather, staff described planned training, potential fee-for-service offerings and cooperative arrangements with neighboring counties and medical education partners.