W.Va. Legislative Health and Human Resources Oversight Committee hears from medical examiner’s office
The West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office is struggling with understaffing, according to its Administrative Director.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WTAP) - The West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office is struggling with understaffing, according to its Administrative Director.
Administrative Director Matt Izzo told the Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability that his office has a backlog of 308 autopsy reports to complete that are over a year old.
Izzo said a large number of staffing vacancies is one of the main causes of the autopsy backlog. “With some of our staffing issues with forensic pathologists and the nationwide shortage that everybody’s faced with, we do have several vacancies with regard to full-time forensic pathologists, which significantly contributes to the delay and backlog,” Izzo said.
Izzo said the office has five full-time forensic pathologists, but needs 12. Izzo also said the office has over 20 other staffing shortages.
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