One of the duties of the Coroner is to educate the public about the dangers that lead to death, such as illegal drugs, alcohol abuse, dangerous driving practices, suicides. You might include dangerous or reckless handling of weapons, harboring vicious dogs, standing on ladders to change light bulbs, too. How are they doing in the Education duties of the office?
| Types of Death | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||
| Natural Cause | 1358 | 1240 | 1332 | ||
| Suicide | 17 | 29 | 37 | ||
| Motor Vehicle | 13 | 14 | 14 | ||
| Accidental (falls, drownings, etc.) | 19 | 18 | 13 | ||
| Undetermined | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Homicides | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Drug Overdoses | 28 | 38 | 32 | ||
| Autopsies | 147 | 146 | 164 | ||
Has "education" resulted in declines in accidental deaths and a level number or motor vehicle deaths? What will 2011 numbers show for drug ODs? And for suicides?
Would the public like to know more about the Coroner's efforts to educate McHenry County residents?
What will the numbers be for 2011? And when will they be available? On what date does the Coroner's Office "draw the line"? For example, if a death occurred on December 31, the determination of the cause of death might not be made for weeks. For how long might that death investigation hold up release of the annual report?
You can view the actual reports on the webpages of the Coroner. Just search on the web for "McHenry County Coroner".
3 comments:
You may laugh, but I think products like "LifeAlert" or similar pendants by ADT have attributed to the decline in accidental deaths. I know several "older" people, living alone, that now wear a safety pendant after acknowledging that if anything were to happen, it could be several days before a friend or relative might find them.
MBlue, no, I won't laugh. I agree with you about LifeAlert. Anything that reminds a person of safety and self-preservation is good.
The Woodstock PD offers a Senior Call-In Program. Every day between 6-10AM a registered senior calls and reports that he's alive and well and has survived another night. No call? The PD calls him (or her) at 10:01AM. No answer? A cop goes to the door and knocks.
No answer? The cop and his sgt. use a previously-furnished key to enter and check on the senior's well-being.
It's a great service but not highly promoted. I could be the only participant. A number of restrictions on participation make no sense at all.
Programs like that are great, but to use my sister as an example, she could easily fall down the stairs, slip in her shower, or slip on the ice outside when she walks out to call in her cats. Even with a daily call, the time between an accidental fall and the time someone would show up at her doorstep could be fatal. With all these burgularies in the area this past summer, I finally convinced her to get an alarm system...I can tell you I sleep better at night knowing if anything happens, she is a click away from help.
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