VERONA, Miss. (WTVA) - Coroners in the north part of the state are hoping training events like Saturday's conference in Verona can become bi-annual so they can accumulate the hours required by state law.
Headlining the first training event is the chief medical examiner for the state of Missisippi.
"We always are continually learning," Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green said. "Dr. Mark LeVaughn has vast experience; he's showing different case studies and it's always interesting to learn, especially from the New York area, where they have a variety of different death investigations."
Due to budget constraints not every corner in the state of Mississippi is able to travel to Jackson for conferences.
One of the main purposes behind this conference will allow coroners to come to the north part of the state and brush up on their continuing education.
"It's always helpful that we can get some continued education close to home," Prentiss County Coroner Greg Sparks said. "Mostly we have to go to Jackson or the coast even to get [that]. We have to have 24 hours a year and this is a wonderful opportunity for us to do it close to home."
Besides dealing with the elements that come with the job, Mississippi coroners are facing a number of challenges.
"One of the biggest challenges for the coroners in the state of Mississippi, they haven't had a structured organized medical examiner system in quite a while," Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mark LeVaughn said. "That's my goal: to have an organized system."
There are four forensic pathologists on staff in Jackson that are state employees with the Department of Public Safety, Having one office in Jackson does present a distance and travel challenge, but if all goes planned that might change in the future.
"One of these days were going to hopefuly rectify that by building satellite offices," adds LeVaughn. "[We'll have] one down on the coast and one up in the north central part of the state."
The two facilities would serve to make the job easier and help counties save money when it comes to expenses.
