Shortage of talent, strapped resources, slow search for LA County coroner

Some progress has been made in processing autopsies and toxicology results at the Losu2009Angeles County coroner’s office, where the head of the department abruptly resigned three months ago because of the number of bodies that had piled up, heavy workloads and staff shortages, according to a recent report.

The report, presented to the Losu2009Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday by the chief executive office, was in response to recommendations made to alleviate the backlog at the coroner’s department. Some improvements so far include adding a few more criminologists, placing some employees on a higher pay scale, and launching a study to lea how to retain staff.

•RELATED: Outgoing LA County coroner describes department in turmoil: ‘It’s nuts’

But a nationwide shortage of specialists has made the hiring process slow since April, when a Losu2009Angeles County civil grand jury report found that almost two dozen more investigators, forensic pathologists and toxicologists were needed to handle the case load at the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office. As a result, the department’s accreditation is in jeopardy.

“What problems currently exist at the (Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner) can be attributed to too few budgeted positions, including direct and indirect support persoel, worker fatigue and buout, and to salary constraints that inhibit recruitment and retention of qualified professionals,” according to the 24-page grand jury report titled “Who cares for the dead when the dead don’t vote?”

The workload and staff shortage prompted Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr.u2009Mark Fajardo to resign in March, after he told reporters the backlog of 40 to 50u2009bodies a day to be processed was “nuts.” Fajardo said 180u2009bodies had piled up in the county morgue and toxicology tests were taking six months to complete because he couldn’t get additional funding from the Board of Supervisors to hire more employees.

•RELATED: LA County names interim coroner amid department turmoil

Supervisors approved a $28u2009billion budget in June that includes $1.6u2009million in funding and 12u2009new positions for the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner to address the backlog.

The coroner’s office investigates about 10,000 of 22,000 to 25,000u2009deaths each year and performs 4,000u2009autopsies aually, sometimes aboutu200930 a day.

Although that’s about the same as medical examiners offices in Newu2009York City and Chicago, those agencies employ more people, the civil grand jury report found.

“We’re continuing to handle the cases,” Ed Winter, Losu2009Angeles County’s assistant chief coroner, said Friday. “We’ve requested some additional funds and positions and the board has granted some of them. People don’t realize we’re the busiest coroner’s office in the nation, if not the world.”

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In the meantime, Dr.u2009Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, the former head of the coroner’s office, was rehired on an interim basis to oversee the department. Sathyavagiswaran had served as the coroner for 21u2009years when he retired in 2013.

County officials have launched a nationwide search to find a permanent director, but would not say Friday how many candidates have applied for the position.

“The recruitment will remain open for accepting resumes and letters of interest until the position is filled,” according to a statement from county officials.

A shortage of pathologists is affecting counties large and small in Califoia and the United States, many experts have said.

About 40u2009forensic pathologists graduate from fellowship programs each year, which is just enough to keep up with the retirement rate, according to the National Association of Medical Examiners.