SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 4, 2007
Time to take a look at yet another Johnson County Department. This time we will discuss the Medical Examiner (ME).
The State of Iowa uses an appointed physician ME system. The ME's primary role is to determine an accurate cause and manner of death.
The Chief Medical Examiner (CME) is appointed to a two-year term by the Board of Supervisors.
Doctor Steven Scheckel is the current CME in Johnson County. The CME appoints deputy MEs and they function as the ME in his absence. The CME and deputies are full time practicing physicians. They rotate being on-call to provide 24/7 coverage.
ME investigators (ME-Is) are hired by the Board of Supervisors and must also be approved by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner. The use of ME-Is is common in Iowa. ME-Is serve under the supervision of the CME to perform death investigations. ME-Is gather information and evidence as well as make preliminary determinations as to cause and manner of death.
Johnson County has had over 300 cases investigated this year, a number that continues to rise annually. Interestingly, Johnson County has the second most deaths in Iowa, following only Polk County. This is due to several factors, but primarily the presence of Iowa's only Level One Trauma Center at the UI. Add in UIHC, Mercy, the VA, Oakdale prison, two interstate highways, and Iowa's 4th largest population, and you can see why so many deaths occur in Johnson County.
State law requires that the host county investigate deaths, regardless of where the deceased was from. Johnson County can then bill the person's home county, if the person was an Iowan; if the person was from another state or country, Johnson County is stuck with the bill.
The work of the ME office goes beyond investigations. In many cases, the ME helps grieving loved ones, assists law enforcement, works with insurance companies, makes arrangements with funeral homes, and much more.
Johnson County hired a Medical Examiner Administrator in 2005 to handle all the associated work. Mike Hensch is the Medical Examiner Administrator, and Johnson County is lucky to have an individual with Mike's combination of skills and experience. Mike has served as a ME-I, been a State Trooper, and has pastoral training. Under Mike¹s leadership, Johnson County has become the model office in the State of Iowa.
For more info on the Medical Examiner's Office, see the Johnson County website at www.johnson-county.com.
I get E-mails on occasion from readers who say something to this effect: "I understand your deeply held beliefs that society has a responsibility to care for the less fortunate. But personal responsibility plays a part, does it not?" You know who you are, Margaret! :)
I think that readers would be surprised if they knew how frequently we preach the mantra of personal responsibility around our house. As foster parents, we frequently house young people who have been dealt bad hands.
Through no fault of their own, they are placed in bad situations.
We are constantly explaining that, "regardless of what has happened to you, you control your own future." We wish we could go back and change the past for these kids, but we can't. We need to focus on the present and future, and any successes there are up to them.
So, fans of personal responsibility - we are not so different, you and I.
More people taking greater personal responsibility in more circumstances would certainly be a good thing!
The Second Annual John's Sleep Out will be held Saturday, December 8 in the field at the corner of Southgate Ave. and Waterfront Dr. in Iowa City.
On any given night, hundreds of Iowans (including many children) sleep outside, in cars, and in other places unfit for human habitation. Johnson County lacks adequate shelter space; just last week, I drove 6 people to St. Thomas More because there was no room for them at Shelter House. Other folks are doing the same thing every night, all winter. John's Sleep Out is an attempt to call attention to this shameful situation.
The event features campfires, entertainment, and a soup supper for $5.
Drop by to eat, or really commit and camp all night! Campers are urged to spend the night, and to get friends to sponsor their stay. Boxes will be at the site to allow for the donation of blankets. All proceeds go to the Homeless Children's Trust.
For more info, contact Al Axeen at 337-5765 or Chrissy Canganelli at 338-5416.
This is interesting - have you ever wondered who are the biggest polluters in Johnson County? Have you ever wondered how polluted Johnson County is compared to other places in the US? That data and more is available at Green Media Toolshed: http://www.scorecard.org/community.
I'll admit, I cannot vouch for the data. But it bears further review. Check it out for yourself.
DID YOU KNOW? Tourism generated $264 million dollars for the Johnson County economy in 2006, including over $2.4 million in Hotel/Motel taxes.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- www.johnson-county.com.
"Sullivan's Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message.
They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod @ 11:17 PM
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