The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office has unveiled its new state-of-the-art facility, a $30 million project that county officials say was long overdue.

“We’ve gone from a building that was never designed for the work that we do, was hopelessly small and inadequate, to a facility that allows us to do our work with good light, room to work and, God forbid that we need it for some sort of disaster, the capacity to handle the bodies that might come from a tornado or some other disaster,” said Dr. Greg Davis, chief coroner/medical examiner.

The facility, which is nearing completion, takes the office from an outdated, small space on one floor of the old Cooper Green Hospital to 32,000 square feet of much-needed space and newer technology.

Or, in the words Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens, the office is going from “a facility that looks like it can be on a horror show to one of the most beautiful first-class, state-of-the-art facilities.”

Poole & Company Architects designed the facility with MWL Architects, both with experience in designing forensic pathology and laboratory spaces. Doster Construction served as the general contractor.

Discussions for the new building – which is located on Leaf Lake Boulevard off Lakeshore Parkway – began in 2021. It was built to serve the needs of Jefferson County for the next 30 years, with room for expansion.

“The coroner’s office carries a big role in our community,” said Commissioner Sheila Tyson. “People want their family members to die with dignity.”

Features include:

• Increased examination space and storage capacity in case of natural disaster for other mass casualty events
• A drive-through port keeps bodies from being visible during transport to the facility
• A CT scanner which will expedite the examination of bodies and the recovery of evidence from bodies
• An isolation room to examine potentially dangerous or infectious cases, which would contain any potential infection or injury to the employees
• A conference room for training sessions with law enforcement and attorneys
• A private meeting room for relatives of the deceased

The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office has the responsibility of examining people who have died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Those responsibilities include identifying people and determining the cause and manners of a death.

Also, Davis said, the office is tasked with understanding the public health of the community. It works closely with Jefferson County Health Department.

The office has been in the old Cooper Green Hospital since 1977.

Before that it was on the second floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse.

From 1819 through 1931, the coroner/medical examiner position in Jefferson County was elected and did not require any medical training or degree.

From 1931 until 1978, the position was appointed by the county commission but still did not require a medical degree.

In 1979, the commission began to require the coroner/medical examiner to be a board-certified forensic pathologist.