Medical examiners, coroners struggling to keep pace with overdose deaths

The rise in the number of deaths due to drug overdose is forcing medical examiners and coroners to delay autopsies and toxicology reports---and most notably, find some creative ways to store bodies when they’ve run out of space.

In one example, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, had to put bodies on cots in a refrigerated storage unit because it ran out of stretchers.

For more information on how offices are trying to cope with the extra work and how taking on more bodies threaten their accreditation, click on the link below: 

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John Gregory, Senior Writer

John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.

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