Clatsop County Revolutionises Postmortem Toxicology Testing
Clatsop County, Oregon, has taken a huge step forward in postmortem toxicology. They became the first county in Oregon to use the Evidence MultiSTAT analyser, drastically reducing the time required to obtain toxicology results. Installed in their Medical Examiner Division, the MultiSTAT has made it significantly faster and easier to conduct toxicology screening amid an increase in overdose deaths in the County.
Keeping Families Informed and Accelerating Investigations
Previously, the toxicology screening process took 4 to 6 months, causing significant delays in investigations and impacting families awaiting answers. Now, with the implementation of the MultiSTAT, these results are available in under 30 minutes.
Elizabeth DeVisser, the county’s chief medicolegal death investigator, emphasised the importance of the MultiSTAT: “So if somebody dies and we think drugs are suspected, then I will go ahead and run their blood through the machine and be able to give them an answer.”
A Game Changer for Public Health, Community Safety, and Legal Proceedings
She also highlighted public health issues: “We have a crisis in our county right now … Last year, we had 17 confirmed drug deaths. And this year, we’re at 16, just in our county. We’re only four months in.”
The swift availability of toxicology results will not only expedite investigations but also help in identifying dangerous batches of drugs circulating in the community. This proactive approach is crucial in combating the opioid crisis and other drug-related issues, ensuring that public safety is maintained. DeVisser commented that, “If we had to wait for four to six months for the results to come back, then our ability to do anything about that and get the word out to the community that ‘Hey, we’ve got this going on, you’ve got to be really careful out there in the streets.’”
The MultiSTAT can also aid in legal proceedings, according to her, “On the legal aspect, let’s say we’ve got a case where somebody died at home and we see that there’s fentanyl there,” she said. “A lot of times, the district attorney may not be able to move forward on prosecuting a case on a drug dealer without knowing what was in the person’s system.”
Hope for the Future
Local officials have praised the adoption of this cutting-edge technology, highlighting its potential to save lives and provide quicker answers to grieving families. The success of this initiative in Clatsop County sets a precedent for other regions to follow, showcasing the importance of investing in advanced forensic tools.
DeVisser expressed hope for the future, “Now, being able to have these tools at hand allows the county to address this incredible surge in drugs that we’re seeing. Not even just fatal overdoses, but overdoses in general.”
Find out more
To learn more about our post-mortem screening visit: https://www.randoxtoxicology.com/post-mortem-toxicology
Or email us at info@randoxoxicology.com
Source: The Astorian