2023-10-03 Coroner update - 2023 accredidation audit report
840 South Rancho Drive, Suite 4-410 Las Vegas, Nevada 89106 (702) 706-5880
International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners
Collaboration · Education · Accreditation
Dedicated to the promotion of excellence in medicolegal death investigation through
collaboration, education and accreditation.
May 26, 2023
Lewis County Washington Coroner Office Re-accreditation Report
585 North Center St.
Chehalis, WA. 98532
Connie Jacobson-Lead Auditor P. Michal Murphy, Auditor
The Lewis County Washington Coroner Office has met the requirements as illustrated in the assessment table and check list below.
The checklist is approved for completion and compliance with all standards. The standards checklist was reviewed and analyzed
prior to our arrival to the office on Friday, May 26, 2023 to conduct the site review/visit.
Lewis County Overall Results
Required Standards Standards
Category Yes No Blank Yes No N/A Blank
A. Medicolegal Office
Practices
57 0 0 66 0 1 0
B. Investigative Practices 43 0 0 16 0 0 0
C. Morgue Facilities 46 0 0 25 0 0 0
D. Laboratory Services 12 0 0 6 0 0 0
E. Forensic Specialists 8 0 0 7 1 0 0
Total 166
(100%)
0 0 120
(99%)
1 1 0
Self-Assessment Results by Category
The following table represents the results of your "Self-Assessment."
NOTE: Full accreditation is obtained by having 100% of the Required Standards and at least 90%
of the Standards.
840 South Rancho Drive, Suite 4-410 Las Vegas, Nevada 89106 (702) 706-5880
International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners
Collaboration · Education · Accreditation
Dedicated to the promotion of excellence in medicolegal death investigation through
collaboration, education and accreditation.
Category Required Standards Standards Accredited
A. Medicolegal Office Practices 100% 100%
B. Investigative Practices 100% 100%
C. Morgue Facilities 100% 100%
D. Laboratory Services 100% 100%
E. Forensic Specialists 100% 88%
Standards - No
E. Forensic Specialists
1. Forensic Pathologists
h. Medical staff should be of sufficient size so that no forensic pathologist is required to perform more than
250 autopsies/year (total by pathologist, inside AND outside cases included).
Standards - N/A
A. Medicolegal Office Practices
12. Employee Safety and Training
f. The office should keep records of required staff vaccinations (e.g., Hepatitis B vaccinations accepted or
refused).
Auditors’ Comments
840 South Rancho Drive, Suite 4-410 Las Vegas, Nevada 89106 (702) 706-5880
International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners
Collaboration · Education · Accreditation
Dedicated to the promotion of excellence in medicolegal death investigation through
collaboration, education and accreditation.
According to the 2020 Census Bureau, the population of Lewis County is 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis where the coroner’s
office is located. After arriving to the Portland, Oregon airport, we rented a car and drove 100 miles, one hour and 40 minutes to
the coroner office location in Chehalis, Washington,
The facility tour was lead by Coroner Warren McLeod and Chief Deputy Stephen Wilson. The facility is in the same location
where the initial accreditation inspection took place five years prior.
The main entrance from the street is secured by a locked door with a buzzer that alerts the receptionist who can control the door
access. The command post and family room is the same room off the main office space where the receptionist’s desk is located.
We noted that almost all rooms both downstairs and upstairs has at least one office space set up. There is a kitchen area on both
floors with appropriate separate bathrooms with showers and lockers. The chief deputy’s office and coroner’s office are separate
private offices. Coroner McCloud made note that the decedent tracking white board outside the autopsy suite was in the planning
process with their county’s IT department to become digitalized which would make this information available to all computers in
the office that will improve better organization of decedent movement throughout the entire investigative process while the
decedent is present in the office.
The autopsy suite is equipped with one autopsy station with all necessary supplies and equipment to conduct autopsies, usually by
the forensic pathologist who has been servicing this office for many years. Of note is there are many tables available for decedent
conveyance throughout the morgue area. The cooler is spacious which holds more than their average number of six decedents per
day. The area is organized and clean and contains all the equipment and supplies
to conduct autopsies. The evidence room has locked containers or lockers where evidence and/or property is stored until moved to
appropriate places with a chain of custody. Medications are noted at the scene but not brought into the facility. In the upper level
of the office are three work spaces, a separate break room, workout equipment, storage space, sleep space. A separate work space
is also present for the pathologist.
Interviews were conducted with three of the coroner office’s professional colleagues from the community. Commander Andy
Caldwell from Centralia City Police Department, Diane Achord from eCare Mortuary who transports from scenes and Matt Jeager,
assistant county manager and IT director all offered many accolades, praises and compliments for the Lewis County Coroner and
staff. Phrases such as “I love the Lewis County Coroner office, kind, warm, welcoming, professional, compassionate, respectful,
supportive of families were mentioned.
Two case files from all manners of death including two baby deaths were inspected. All except one baby death investigation
contained appropriate and required components of a thorough investigation. One baby death did not include a SUIDI form or
documentation of a reenactment with dolls. The coroner is aware of the lost opportunity.
Overall, we found the Lewis County Coroner office to be very capable and accommodating of the service that is provided through
medicolegal death investigation in this community. We very much appreciated the opportunity to take part in this peer review
Lewis County’s coroner office.
Auditors’ Recommendations
840 South Rancho Drive, Suite 4-410 Las Vegas, Nevada 89106 (702) 706-5880
International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners
Collaboration · Education · Accreditation
Dedicated to the promotion of excellence in medicolegal death investigation through
collaboration, education and accreditation.
The Lewis County Coroner office has met 100% of the required standards and 99% of the nonrequired standards. We recommend
full reaccreditation for this office.
Connie Jacobson, Lead Auditor P. Michael Murphy, Auditor
May 27, 2023 May 27, 2023