Does coroner need a medical background? Kane County candidates disagree
The candidates running for Kane County coroner disagree about whether the job needs somebody with medical experience.
Republican Rob Russell of Hampshire, who has held the office for 12 years, says coroners are law enforcement officials designated by state law as conservators of the peace. Coroners, he notes, don’t perform autopsies. Those are done by medical examiners, he said.
But Democratic challenger Monica Silva, a chiropractor, argues coroner is a medical position.
“The forensic report (of the condition of the body) is just one part of the data” that goes into determining what killed a person and whether it was a natural death, accidental death, homicide or suicide, she said.
Silva said her clinical experience, including her training in anatomy and pathology, would help determine causes of death.
The Lake and Will county coroner posts are held by nurses, she added.
Russell, a former DuPage County sheriff’s deputy, said his law enforcement experience helps. He’s seeking another term because “there’s more work to be done,” he added.
The office, in cooperation with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, plans to open a regional forensic laboratory so toxicology tests can be done locally instead of being sent to an out-of-state laboratory. That will speed up the time it takes to conclude autopsies, because it often takes several weeks to get the results from the private laboratory, he said.
Russell said it also would be good to have “consistency” in leadership, as officials seek grant funding and as the laboratory becomes accredited, which could take several years.
Silva said she has extensive public health experience and wants the coroner’s office to do more public health work, including addressing the opioid abuse crisis.
“My vision is to walk with the people,” she said.
She said she would be ready for the reaccreditation of the office. She would also like real-time public reporting of drug-related deaths, including those related to fentanyl use, within 24 hours, so the public and police know there may be a problem in some areas of the county.
Russell said he is working with the county information technology department to come up with a GIS-based system. But, he said, “we can suspect (drugs), but it is inappropriate for us to put out unconfirmed information.” And the office already communicates with police about suspected drug deaths, he said.
Silva, of Aurora, has served on the Kane County Board and the Kane County Forest Preserve Commission for 14 years. She also served as an Aurora Township trustee.
She said the coroner’s office needs to be more active in the community and develop better relationships with the county board.
Russell said that he has worked with outside groups on the opioid crisis, including distributing naloxone kits and, more recently, fentanyl test strips. He noted that the previous coroner did not order autopsies on many suspected drug deaths, a practice Russell changed.