Oregon ME’s division cuts back county help
By Terry Murry on Monday, May 15th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PORTLAND – The Oregon State Police said the Medical Examiners Division is suffering a staffing crisis that continues to worsen as the number of death investigations in Oregon soar. The ME’s office will no longer be able to fulfill its historic role as county medical examiner for 14 counties. That includes Morrow County as well as densely populated Multnomah County.
Beginning July 1, the state office will stop fulfilling that role.
“Our remaining physicians are working weekends, falling behind, and expressing concern about heavy workloads adversely affecting performance and quality of life,” OSP Major Alex Gardner wrote to county leaders in a letter obtained by KPTV.
Exacerbating the problem was the low pay. Until recently, pathologists and support employees made among the lowest salaries the country for their professions. While a raise recently came through, a bill that would have helped them hire more professionals who aren’t physicians but have expertise like physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners failed to move forward this legislative session.
The counties that will have to make adjustments are Clackamas, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Grant, Jackson, Josephine, Lake, Lane, Morrow, Multnomah, Washington, and Wheeler. OSP reports that both Columbia and Wheeler counties have already come up with their own systems.
