AAC
FEATURE New system to standardize death reporting for counties, state
Story and Photo by Holland Doran AAC Communications Coordinator
local agencies from receiving grant money that could fight the opioid crisis. In a multidisciplinary effort, Arkansas counties, the
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Arkansas Department of Health, the Arkansas State Crime Lab, and law enforcement are working to correct this problem with a standardized death investigation reporting system called Medicolegal Death Investigation (MDILog). Te system is an efficient and secure way for coroners to log sudden, unexpected deaths. Users enter details such as date, time, cause and manner of death; descriptions and photos from the scene; and any corresponding documents. MDILog can then generate a report that coroners can personalize and send to state and federal agencies to aid them in statistical research and in solving other deaths. MDILog users can also search national databases to help them in an investigation.
Another benefit of the system is that the state can more accurately track the number of deaths related to opioids. Arkansas State Drug Director Kirk Lane and Saline County
Coroner Kevin Cleghorn, who is president of the Arkansas Coroners’ Association, have been instrumental in overseeing the roll out of the system to counties and the state. “Having just a universal reporting system in Arkansas at one location actually cuts waiting on statistics. We don’t have to wait a year out to gather statistics for 2018. We’ve got them in real time,” Cleghorn said. “Tat’s huge. We’ve never had that in Arkansas.” In March, several counties were already using MDILog. Te system is free of charge for five years. “No more waiting, going back to the office or faxing the
report,” Cleghorn said. “It’s all paperless now. It’s all done immediately and in real time as we go.” Accurate statistics are essential when solving the cause and manner of a death, says Lane, whose office is working to secure grants necessary to fight the opioid crisis in Arkansas. “Currently we are trying to solve problems with 2016
data,” Lane said. “Having outdated information reduces the opportunity to get competitive grant funding and apply funding to effect current data-driven issues.” Due to inaccurate reporting, officials say the four-year death toll from opioid overdoses in Arkansas is likely higher
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he lack of a standardized system to report and record deaths in coroners’ offices across the state has led to skewed data and stalled investigations. It has even prevented state and
Saline County Coroner Kevin Cleghorn browses through the MDIlog death reporting system in his Benton office. The system is expected to improve reporting for all manner of deaths, including opioid overdoses.
than the 800 found in federal databases, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in April. Cleghorn believes MDILog can set Arkansas back on course in data collection and exchange, especially with its ability to pinpoint areas of the state that need more community education and crime prevention. Arkansas State Crime Lab Executive Director Kermit Channell says the system will increase the professionalism and accuracy among death investigations in Arkansas. “It provides consistency, and that’s based on national standards,” he said. “I think that elevates the professionalism and knowledge across the board of all 75 counties.” Channell said
the quick and accurate exchange of
information from a coroner to the crime lab is paramount in determining the cause and manner of death. Channell has seen the impact of opioids on the state first hand. More than half of those who died due to a drug overdose — and whose bodies were sent to the crime lab for autopsies — have prescription opioids in their systems, he said. However, because of inaccurate data or the lack of data, the lab cannot detect the specific type of opioid, such as oxycodone, morphine or fentanyl, found in the bodies. MDILog improves the chances of identifying the specific opioid that caused the death, in turn generating reliable statistics for state and national databases. “It tells us what our communities are fighting,” Cleghorn said. “With these kinds of statistics, it tells our law enforcement around the state where they need to focus … where the hotspots are.”
COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2018
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