Health & Fitness
Cobb County Medical Examiner Gets $300,000 Grant
The grant is expected to reduce toxicology result wait times from 90 days to two weeks.
From Cobb Co. Medical Examiner: Cobb County’s Medical Examiner says one of his biggest frustrations is the time it sometimes takes to complete cases. Dr. Christopher Gulledge says often those delays are caused by a long wait for toxicology results.The Department of Justice recently awarded the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s office a grant that Dr. Gulledge hopes will cut in half the time it takes to get back toxicology results. “This will allow us to help grieving families get answers and death certificates faster,” said Dr. Gulledge, “and this will let us give law enforcement more real-time information about dangerous drugs causing deaths in our community.”
The $323,724 grant will allow the Cobb ME’s office to send requests to a private laboratory that would provide test results in two weeks compared to an average wait time of around 90 days.Another part of the grant would allow Dr. Gulledge to hire someone to help the office write standard policies and procedures that would streamline operations and set the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s office up for accreditation by the time they move into a new facility.
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