Starke County Council to Discuss Funds for Body Storage

starke-county-courthouseStarke County Coroner-Elect Adam Gray will talk to the Starke County Council about funds for body storage when they meet this evening. Gray is the first non-funeral director to be elected coroner in several years. In the past, the funeral directors have used their facilities to store bodies until they are claimed. County officials have discussed building a basic morgue space next to the Grovertown EMS base at the intersection of U.S. 30 and State Road 23. Gray recently told the county commissioners he would rather wait on construction and instead use the Marshall County morgue at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth on an as-needed basis. The commissioner referred him to the council to ensure there’s money in his budget to do so. That meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the county annex building.

The commissioners also asked if it would be possible to use space at IU Health Starke Hospital. Officials there have not been warm to the possibility in the past. President of the Commissioners Jennifer Davis said at the last meeting she would talk to hospital president Craig Felty and see if an accommodation could be reached. Felty is also on tonight’s agenda to answer questions about the hospital’s asset report.

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