Cook County medical examiner earns national accreditation

The Cook County medical examiner's office has been awarded full accreditation by the National Association of Medical Examiners, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Tuesday.

Full accreditation recognizes that the office has met or exceeds national standards in key areas of operations, staffing and procedures.

"This announcement speaks to the institutional integrity of the medical examiner's office but most importantly, it should serve as an assurance to those whose loved ones pass through the medical examiner's office that the deceased are treated with dignity, care and respect," Preckwinkle said in a news release.

Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina was hired in September 2012. Since then, Preckwinkle said, he has instituted new policies and procedures, raised expectations of employee performance, upgraded operations and technology, and brought a culture of change to the office.

The county has also invested in the office through additional staffing and equipment. A $1.4 million state-of-the-art cooler has replaced 30-year-old infrastructure and the office now uses a $900,000 cutting-edge, cloud-based case management system that tracks each case from the moment it's called into the office until the decedent is released to a funeral home.

The Cook County medical examiner's office is now the only medical examiner's or coroner's office in Illinois to have full NAME accreditation.

"Every day we strive to improve and recommit ourselves to exceptional patient care, compassionate customer service, integration of state-of-the-art forensic science modalities, improving public health and fostering a spirit of professionalism, dignity and respect for the deceased within our office," Cina said.

The Cook County medical examiner's office investigates more than 5,000 cases a year and performed nearly 3,000 autopsies in 2015.