TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– The Vigo County Coroner’s Office is looking for solutions to a storage problem.
Vigo County Coroner, Dr. Janie Myers, spoke in front of the county council on Tuesday. She said the problem stretches back years, but has worsened as deaths have increased in the area.
“It still is a problem,” she said while speaking before the council. “I know some of the council members have talked to some of the places we currently store our deceased and our loved ones. They themselves are saying, ‘Hey, this is a problem,’ we have to really, really think about it.”
Right now, there is no morgue in Vigo County, and the coroner’s office has partnerships with a local hospital and a local funeral home to help with storage.
Councilmember Todd Thacker said that this can be a costly issue for the county due to transportation costs associated with the overcrowding.
“What’s happened is we have had a lot more issues with storage, and as Dr. Myers said, we’ve had more expenditures with transportation and storage. So to try and fix that, she’s come up with some different ideas,” he said.
Myers said she is open to all both short and long-term solutions. The county council took no action during the Tuesday meeting, as Thacker said they are not the right branch of government to help find additional space– and the coroner’s office should work with county commissioners on a solution.
It’s good we’re involved in the idea process. But in county government, there is a process,” he said. “We don’t write contracts and we don’t come up with the ideas, we’re the fiscal body. So I was just trying to help direct her and maybe get the two parties together so they can solve the issue.”
Both the commissioners and Myers expressed during the meeting they hope to meet soon to work on the next steps.
