Franklin County Coroner Blames Covid For Four Deputy Coroners Resigning
The "Great Resignation."
That is how Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz justifies the mass exodus at the Franklin County Coroner's Office. The Sussi Report confirmed that deputy coroners Dr. Maneesha Pandey and Dr. Kevin Jenkins recently resigned and deputy coroners Dr. Anne Shepler and Elaine Amoresano submitted their resignations and will leave in April.
Dr. Ortiz Statement
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In her statement submitted Tuesday night to The Sussi Report, Dr. Ortiz wrote, "The pandemic has shone a light on what matters most to people – health, family and friends. Individuals in all types of professions are seeking to lower their stress levels with lighter workloads, easier commutes and work-from-home options, all to create a better quality of life."
Sources blame the departure of four experienced coroners on "a toxic work environment." Said a former employee, "The foundation has been lost. The walls are crumbling because now you have your pathologists leaving."
The former employee said that the Franklin County Coroner's Office is struggling to perform autopsies in a timely matter, and with four of five pathologists gone by May 1, "You're in a pile of hot shit," she said. "You can't keep up. There's no way they can be keeping up with two experienced pathologists who have already left."
Dr. Ortiz said that her office has begun the process of replacing the four deputy coroners. In the meantime Dr. Ortiz said that her office has contracted with local forensic pathologists to cover the workload. "We also intend to activate the intergovernmental agreements we have with Hamilton and Montgomery Counties, both of which will receive cases as needed," explained Dr. Ortiz. "In addition, we have hired a recruiter to help in our search for permanent replacements."