NORTHERN KENTUCKY — Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday announced that funding has been appropriated for the Office of the State Medical Examiner (OSME) to reopen its Northern Kentucky office through a "bipartisan effort."

“This was truly a bipartisan effort, led by Sen. McDaniel, and demonstrates the imperative need for such essential services in this region,” said Beshear. “As your governor, I recognize that staffing and funding are ongoing issues for this office, and the bipartisan collaborative success of HB 382 shows that both the Legislature and the Executive Branch are on the same page about tackling such issues.”

The Northern Kentucky office has been closed since March 2018.

Beshear signed House Bill 382 last week after the General Assembly passed the legislation, which dedicates $1.8 million in one-time funds for the fiscal year 2022 and more than $1.5 million in continuation funds.

“So many of our vital services are many times unnoticed, but the loss of the medical examiner’s office in Northern Kentucky was becoming a large problem,” said Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Taylor Mill). “I appreciate working with Gov. Beshear and the state medical examiner’s office to return this important service to Northern Kentucky.”

According to a release from Beshear's office, the facility's reopening will impact areas across Kentucky. Without the office, cases from Northern Kentucky were sent throughout the state, increasing caseloads on existing regional medical examiner's offices already overcapacity.

“This means that we can process more cases with quicker turnaround, which will help Kentuckians take important next steps in their time of grief and loss,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. William Ralston. “A shortage of medical examiners in the state contributes to delays in local cases and response times for county coroners to receive completed autopsy reports. County coroners are unable to sign death certificates until autopsy reports are completed, and without signed death certificates, families are often unable to begin taking care of personal matters.”

The state medical examiner's office completed 2,851 examinations and was involved in well over 5,000 death investigations statewide in 2020.

The Northern Kentucky location will provide year-round accessibility and anticipates receiving well over 500 examinations annually. It will reduce the need for grieving families to transport deceased loved ones to the Louisville office for an examination and back home before a funeral and burial. Law enforcement and other investigators will also save associated expenses and resources.