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A collaborative effort by Legacy of Hope and the Alabama Coroner’s Association is working to ensure that the officials responsible for recording, reporting and investigating deaths in Lowndes and surrounding counties have the training they need to perform their job with excellence.

On July 18, the partners held their second annual regional education event in Hayneville for District 3 coroners working to serve citizens in Lowndes, Autauga, Chilton, Bibb, Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Green, Sumter, Hale, Perry and Dallas counties.

Lowndes County Coroner, Terrell Means, is District 3 Director and facilitated the event held in the County Commission Chambers of the Charles Smith Annex Building. More than 30 coroners, law enforcement officers and others attended the training to learn proper procedures for handling a death scene.

“The main focus was on the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of being a county coroner, to be able to service the family,” Means said. 

Topics covered during the day-long training covered issues of death certificates, medicolegal investigations, handling blood-borne pathogens, personal protection equipment (PPE) training, fatality management and other areas integral to the office of the coroner.

According to Lina Evans, Shelby County coroner, individuals elected to the office do not always come with skills and knowledge needed to execute their duties. Training like this one is a part of helping ensure citizens across Alabama receive consistent, competent death services.

“Coroners are required by law to have 12 hours of continuing education per year,” Evans said. “We provide free training for coroners and deputy coroners who are members of the association, and we move throughout the state because we understand that it’s difficult with funding to, first of all, get training and to travel for training. It’s important for coroners and deputy coroners to have that [training] because the level of death investigation should be the same regardless of where you go in the state.”  

In addition to training, attendees received eight continuing education hours from the Alabama Board of Funeral Services, the Alabama Coroner’s Training Commission and the American Board of Medico Legal Death Investigators.

“The training is designed to make sure that coroners and others know what to say during a family’s grieving time,” Means said. “We let them know we are checking on them for the next three to six months, letting them know we are thinking about them after the passing of their loved one.”

Means said the association also provides training for new coroners, to help prepare them for serving citizens during a loved one’s death.