College of American Pathologist Member Praised Medical Examiner's Office Turnaround

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office has had its national accreditation restored for the first time in five years.

When the office lost accreditation in 2011, there was a shortage of staff, and overcrowding that led to bodies being stacked on top of each other.

“The office was in crisis,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said.

National accreditation recognizes a medical examiner’s office for meeting professional standards in key areas of operations, staffing, and procedures. It also provides credibilihen its doctors testify in court, allows the morgue to serve as a training facility, and qualifies the office for various federal grants.

Preckwinkle credited Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina and his staff for the turnaround.

“It should serve as an assurance to those whose loved ones passed through the medical examiner’s office that the deceased are treated with dignity,” she said.

Cina was appointed to run the medical examiner’s office in 2012, after Dr. Nancy Jones resigned amid the overcrowding scandal. Since then, he has overseen the hiring of additional staff, a revision of every policy and procedure, and the installation of a $1.5 million cooler to replace one that had been in use for 30 years.

Cina said, when he was brought in, he and five other doctors had the workload of 18 or 19.

“There is not that sense of fatigue every day. When you’re coming in and doing multiple gunshot wound cases day after day, sometimes two or three of them, fatigue can ensue,” he said.

Cina said the office still has room for improvement when it comes to completing autopsies in a timely manner.