Hillsborough for a few weeks was not. But not all of the local medical examiners are right now. Exploring the high costs of the pandemic for children and young adults. We also spoke to some public records experts in the state of Florida, and they also believe that this should be a public record. Palm Beach County, which previously had been making this information available to reporters and members of the public, is not at the moment. Complete Coverage From WUSF Public Media and Health News Florida, Florida Department of Health, the official count, Sign Up For Coronavirus Updates From Health News Florida, the state Department of Health reached out to Miami-Dade County, New Theory Suggests Dinosaur-Killing Impact Came From Edge Of Solar System, U.K. Coronavirus Variant Found On UCF Campus, Florida Emergency Management Director Moskowitz Steps Down, New York Governor Defends Temporarily Withholding Nursing Home Coronavirus Data. PREV. To obtain a medical certificate you must be examined by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). 10900 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33778. [USA] Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. ck4829: Apr 2020 #1: Yep. by Kujo17. The state health department has a COVID-19 dashboard that has information on the number of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, etc. We were trying to pull it down from the state Medical Examiners Commission, the central organization based in Tallahassee. What have you discovered in your attempts to learn why? State officials have stopped releasing the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida’s medical examiners, which has at times shown a higher death toll than the state’s published count. Pinellas is making it available, Broward, Miami-Dade, etc. There were many local medical examiners who were willing to give us this information, in some cases with the names of the deceased because they believed it was a public record, regardless of what was happening at the state level. They said that there had been conversations between the two agencies, but that there wasn’t any formal legal opinion given, but we do know that the agencies had been talking. CORONAVIRUS: Walk me through the timeline when you first noticed some of those differences between deaths reported by the Medical Examiners Commission and the state data, up until now, when that medical examiners’ information has been missing for more than a week. The state has only been including Florida residents in its count of COVID-19 deaths. The State of Florida is suppressing COVID-19 death toll information. And quite frankly, that was the point of the Medical Examiners Commission in Tallahassee compiling that list and making it available to folks in real time. NEXT . But we were also trying to acquire some of this data from the local medical examiners because remember, that they are the ones who are doing this work and they are feeding it up. Complete Coverage From WUSF Public Media and Health News Florida, Florida Department of Health, the official count, Sign Up For Coronavirus Updates From Health News Florida, the state Department of Health reached out to Miami-Dade County, Vincent Jackson, Former Bucs' Wide Receiver, Dead At 38, Pasco County Revises Spectator Policies For Sports, Performances, State Reports Lowest Number Of New COVID-19 Cases Since October, Florida Emergency Management Director Moskowitz Steps Down, DeSantis Begins Process Of Reopening Florida, Including Restaurants On Limited Basis, Latest On Coronavirus: Florida Cases Top 33,000, DeSantis Details Plans To Reopen State, And More, The Changes Coming To Tampa International Airport To Reduce Coronavirus Risk, Florida COVID-19 Cases Now More Than 33,000. That was something that certainly raised questions in our mind. Complete Coverage From WUSF Public Media and Health News Florida. We were just doing some run-of-the-mill reporting, and in the course of doing that reporting we learned: 1. Recent events regarding the COVID pandemic have led to significant access problems to Aviation Medical Examiners and other medical specialists. An investigation by the Times previously reported the medical examiners' death count was at one point 10 percent higher than the official number released by the state. On one hand, you can say that the state has been very transparent. A FLORIDA TODAY analysis of the first 601 COVID-19 deaths recorded by medical examiners — the state's total death count now tops 1,600 — found several patterns. From what I read of your conversation with the Medical Examiners Commission chair, he did not seem happy about this. We are a full service agency, performing all of our investigations, toxicology, and forensic pathology in house. We also spoke to some public records experts in the state of Florida, and they also believe that this should be a public record. Contact the district directly for more information.) WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. ancianita: Apr 2020 #2: Dammit. Displaying 1 - 1 of 1. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. 2. I asked (the health department) very directly if the Department of Health had influenced the decision that was made by folks at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to not release medical examiners’ data. How does that patchwork approach throughout the state – you have some counties releasing it, some not – make it challenging for reporters, health experts and other people trying to understand where we're at with this pandemic? Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online. WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. REGISTER. Under Florida law, the medical examiners have the responsibility of certifying all of the COVID-19 deaths in the state. They said after having some talks with attorneys and the state Medical Examiners Commission, their interpretation of the law is that it is indeed a public record. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project. And it included a small narrative on each case that mentioned if the person had traveled anywhere, any type of medical history that might have been relevant, and also where the person was treated. So hopefully, the Department of Law Enforcement will provide that record. The state health department has a COVID-19 dashboard that has information on the number of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, etc. The state of Florida is now barring medical examiners from releasing the number of people the examiners believe died of COVID-19, reports the Tampa Bay Times — a move that followed the Times' reporting that the state's officials numbers at times were lower than the medical examiners' count. And so I asked them on what grounds they were planning to make redactions, I didn't hear back on that end, but I can tell you that it's been about 10 days since we made the request for this list, remember, it's a list that reporters had previously been getting in real time. Pasco County, Florida - Medical Examiners. We also learned that on the department of health side, that they believe they are capturing the deaths with more of a lag than the medical examiners are. An investigation by the Times previously reported the medical examiners' death count was at one point 10 percent higher than the official number released by the state. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. It's hard to stay on top of it all but Health News Florida and WUSF can help. We were trying to pull it down from the state Medical Examiners Commission, the central organization based in Tallahassee. The State of Florida’s Bureau of Vital Statistics reported 107,037deaths in Florida during the first six months of 2019. There were many local medical examiners who were willing to give us this information, in some cases with the names of the deceased because they believed it was a public record, regardless of what was happening at the state level. Displaying 1 - 1 of 1. But in many other ways the state has not been transparent. Yeah, the chairman of the state Medical Examiners Commission believes that this list is a public record. He thoroughly believes it's public and he is puzzled by this move. So they are making that available. Interactive Map. From what I read of your conversation with the Medical Examiners Commission chair, he did not seem happy about this. But for now they're pausing. An … For a while, the state was releasing the overall number of cases in nursing homes but not telling us which nursing homes had the cases and it took a coalition of newspapers, led by the Miami Herald, and the Tampa Bay Times was a part of it, threatening to sue for the state to release that information. The … Florida Department of Health, the official count. Phone: 727-582-6800. The state made them stop. So we've seen this kind of interference before. In this specific case, they have not provided me with the specific statutory exemption that they would be following if they were to redact or withhold some of this information, you know, if and when they ultimately make this record available to us. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online at WUSF.org/give. We've made it available in a searchable database. Click on the County of Death or District number to visit the office website. So that was one of the reasons that there was a potential difference in the overall count and also in the counts by each county. « Il y a un membre de la famille derrière chacun de ces chiffres », a déclaré jeudi le Dr Stephen J. Nelson, président de la Florida Medical Examiners Commission, avant que … the state Department of Health reached out to Miami-Dade County and asked the county officials not to allow its medical examiner to make its death data available. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. You’ve also noticed differences in reporting at the local level. Of the cases seen by Florida’s medical examiners, toxicology results determined that the drugs listed below were prese nt at the time of death in 6,064 cases. Our responsibility at WUSF News is to keep you informed, and to help discern what’s important for your family as you make what could be life-saving decisions. The department does not investigate all deaths. We know that in at least one case, EDITOR'S NOTE: We … An investigation by the Times previously reported the medical examiners’ death count was at one point 10 percent higher than the official number released by the state. You're absolutely right. But Florida has had over 33,000 reported cases of COVID-19, and at least 1,200 fatalities — a number that is continuing to rise. But on Tuesday, they changed their minds. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project. Yeah so the thing that was kind of difficult about this is when we were trying to pull down this data, we were kind of looking at it on two fronts. Trump, the coronacapitalist, whispers directly into DeSantis' ear. We at the Medical Examiners Commission are counting everyone who dies in Florida,” said Nelson. And so we don't quite know at the moment, but it's been interesting to watch Florida's response to all of this. CORONAVIRUS: Complete Coverage From WUSF Public Media and Health News Florida. Walk me through the timeline when you first noticed some of those differences between deaths reported by the Medical Examiners Commission and the state data, up until now, when that medical examiners’ information has been missing for more than a week. Has the state issued any reasoning as to why they might want to restrict some of that? Has the state issued any reasoning as to why they might want to restrict some of that? On one hand, you can say that the state has been very transparent. But the state has been doing it in a in a different way. So we published that story a couple weeks ago, and then I attempted to reach back out to the Medical Examiners Commission and get an updated copy of the list, and that's the point when I was told that the list was no longer being made available to the public. What are some concerns with finding out that the state is trying to control this kind of information that's getting out there? And so I asked them on what grounds they were planning to make redactions, I didn't hear back on that end, but I can tell you that it's been about 10 days since we made the request for this list, remember, it's a list that reporters had previously been getting in real time. We weren't even aware that the medical examiners were keeping count of coronavirus deaths in Florida until a few weeks ago actually. NEWSLETTER: Sign Up For Coronavirus Updates From Health News Florida. Yeah so the thing that was kind of difficult about this is when we were trying to pull down this data, we were kind of looking at it on two fronts. “We’re getting the data. Website . We weren't even aware that the medical examiners were keeping count of coronavirus deaths in Florida until a few weeks ago actually. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. So they are making that available. So we've seen the state be transparent on some things, we've seen the state not be transparent on others, and all the public health experts that I am talking to agree that information is power, transparency in times of public crisis is of utmost importance and the public needs as much information as possible in this moment. NEWSLETTER:  He told me that medical examiners across Florida have been counting the dead in every state emergency since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. So we asked the medical examiners how they were keeping count. Unidentified decedents may be found in the following databases: Florida Unidentified Decedents Database For a while, the state was releasing the overall number of cases in nursing homes but not telling us which nursing homes had the cases and it took a coalition of newspapers, led by the Miami Herald, and the Tampa Bay Times was a part of it, threatening to sue for the state to release that information. Facebook Twitter Reddit Email RSS Feed Newsletter Donate. Pasco County, Florida. When we did our original story a couple weeks ago and we were comparing the two lists, the thing that immediately jumped out was that the medical examiners’ overall count of death was ten percent higher than the official count. And they've not yet given it to us. And that the lists have always been a public record. No state, no assisted-living facility, no meat processing plant, nobody should. The state made them stop. And hopefully it won't be too terribly redacted and Floridians will be able to look at it and really have a better understanding of what's going on with the epidemic in real time. Schedule an appointment with an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) in your area. They said that there had been conversations between the two agencies, but that there wasn’t any formal legal opinion given, but we do know that the agencies had been talking. That was something that certainly raised questions in our mind. You’ve also noticed differences in reporting at the local level. But on Tuesday, they changed their minds. has been covering the story. We spoke to a number of public health experts who said that it is absolutely pivotal that we have accurate death data in the state of Florida to help drive public policy decisions, and that if we were only looking at Florida residents, then that was going to potentially leave out an important segment of the Florida population and an important segment of Florida's vulnerable population. They had said that they believed it was not a public record. So that was one of the reasons that there was a potential difference in the overall count and also in the counts by each county. They were doing it based on the county where the person died. So hopefully, the Department of Law Enforcement will provide that record. Pinellas is making it available, Broward, Miami-Dade, etc. It's rich with data and has even been cited as a national model. Florida's health department is reportedly withholding the list of coronavirus deaths compiled by the state's medical examiners, which at times … The 9-Member Commission is Composed of the Following Categories Two licensed physicians who are active district medical examiners * Stephanie Colombini joined WUSF Public Media in December 2016 as Producer of Florida Matters,WUSF’s public affairs show. They had said that they believed it was not a public record. So we've seen the state be transparent on some things, we've seen the state not be transparent on others, and all the public health experts that I am talking to agree that information is power, transparency in times of public crisis is of utmost importance and the public needs as much information as possible in this moment. Coronavirus: Florida medical examiners were releasing COVID-19 death data. Sign Up For Coronavirus Updates From Health News Florida. He thoroughly believes it's public and he is puzzled by this move. Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department Miami-Dade County Phone: 305-545-2400 . Palm Beach County, which previously had been making this information available to reporters and members of the public, is not at the moment. To see more, visit WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. Florida health officials have stopped publishing real-time coronavirus death data reported by medical examiners after they showed a higher number of fatalities than the official state total. And so we don't quite know at the moment, but it's been interesting to watch Florida's response to all of this. State officials have stopped releasing the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida’s medical examiners, which has at times shown a higher death toll than the state’s published count. The Medical Examiner Office is centrally located in Kearny Mesa in the County Operations Center. Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. So we asked the medical examiners how they were keeping count. The head of the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, which governs the state’s 21 medical examiners, has insisted the information — including the … So we've seen this kind of interference before. I reached out to the Florida Department of Law enforcement, which is the state agency that provides administrative support to the Medical Examiners Commission. He told me that medical examiners across Florida have been counting the dead in every state emergency since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. (Original post) demmiblue: Apr 2020: OP: K&R. But not all of the local medical examiners are right now. It was really interesting to look at the list because the statewide list of deaths being compiled by the medical examiners was different from the numbers that the state was providing through the Their county attorney is reviewing the law and is reviewing what's being done in other places, and plans to make a decision soon about whether or not Palm Beach should resume making that data available. Pasco County Medical Examiner. 2. SIGN IN. Before the DOH clamped down on releasing the full data, FLORIDA TODAY had obtained the first 601 COVID-19 deaths unredacted, which you can explore here. They were doing that work because they recognize the importance of having that available without the extra step of having to query 20-some-odd medical examiners and get the information from them. FAA Home Pilots Medical Certification Medical Certification. It was really interesting to look at the list because the statewide list of deaths being compiled by the medical examiners was different from the numbers that the state was providing through the Florida Department of Health, the official count. Health News Florida's Stephanie Colombini spoke with Times reporter Kathleen McGrory, who along with Rebecca Woolington