The state health department has a COVID-19 dashboard that has information on the number of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, etc. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project. We know that in at least one case, 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. 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. But for now they're pausing. We also spoke to some public records experts in the state of Florida, and they also believe that this should be a public record. NEXT . 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? 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. 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. Trump, the coronacapitalist, whispers directly into DeSantis' ear. 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. 2. Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department Miami-Dade County Phone: 305-545-2400 . We at the Medical Examiners Commission are counting everyone who dies in Florida,” said Nelson. As the airman you should follow these steps to apply for and obtain your medical certificate: Use MedXPress, to complete the initial portion of the application. They said that they were planning to release the list, that they would make this list available to the public, but that they needed to really review it and potentially redact it. Florida's health department is reportedly withholding the list of coronavirus deaths compiled by the state's medical examiners, which at times … Pasco County Medical Examiner. 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. Under Florida law, the medical examiners have the responsibility of certifying all of the COVID-19 deaths in the state. 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. The state made them stop. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. SIGN IN. He told me that medical examiners across Florida have been counting the dead in every state emergency since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. An … It's rich with data and has even been cited as a national model. But for now they're pausing. On one hand, you can say that the state has been very transparent. 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. But on Tuesday, they changed their minds. 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. 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. [USA] Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. He told me that medical examiners across Florida have been counting the dead in every state emergency since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. EDITOR'S NOTE: We … It's rich with data and has even been cited as a national model. The state made them stop By Kathleen McGrory and Rebecca Woolington Tampa … The 9-Member Commission is Composed of the Following Categories Two licensed physicians who are active district medical examiners * 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. Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. 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. So we made a request at the state level and we made a series of requests at the local level. Stephanie Colombini joined WUSF Public Media in December 2016 as Producer of Florida Matters,WUSF’s public affairs show. The State of Florida is suppressing COVID-19 death toll information. 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? Phone: 727-582-6800. And that the lists have always been a public record. An 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. From what I read of your conversation with the Medical Examiners Commission chair, he did not seem happy about this. 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. Schedule an appointment with an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) in your area. 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. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. 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. Unidentified decedents may be found in the following databases: Florida Unidentified Decedents Database ck4829: Apr 2020 #1: Yep. No state, no assisted-living facility, no meat processing plant, nobody should. 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. NEWSLETTER: Sign Up For Coronavirus Updates From Health News Florida. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online. (Original post) demmiblue: Apr 2020: OP: K&R. Displaying 1 - 1 of 1. McGrory first explains how the medical examiners' data differs from the state health department's, and how officials are now preventing the public from accessing that information. Stephanie Colombini joined WUSF Public Media in December 2016 as Producer of Florida Matters,WUSF’s public affairs show. 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. We know that in at least one case, 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. I reached out to the Florida Department of Law enforcement, which is the state agency that provides administrative support to the Medical Examiners Commission. We are a full service agency, performing all of our investigations, toxicology, and forensic pathology in house. And that the lists have always been a public record. 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. The head of the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, which governs the state’s 21 medical examiners, has insisted the information — including the … All the local medical examiners were feeding what they were seeing on the ground into a list that was being maintained at the state level. McGrory first explains how the medical examiners' data differs from the state health department's, and how officials are now preventing the public from accessing that information. Click on the County of Death or District number to visit the office website. 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. FAA Home Pilots Medical Certification Medical Certification. Palm Beach County, which previously had been making this information available to reporters and members of the public, is not at the moment. Pasco County, Florida. That was something that certainly raised questions in our mind. 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. News about coronavirus in Florida and around the world is constantly emerging. 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. 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 The state health department has a COVID-19 dashboard that has information on the number of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, etc. Data prior to 1984 can be obtained by … We weren't even aware that the medical examiners were keeping count of coronavirus deaths in Florida until a few weeks ago actually. 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. 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. First Name: Middle Name: Last Date Known Alive: (MM/DD/YYYY) Unidentified Decedents may be found in the following databases: Florida Unidentified Decedents Database or NamUs - National Unidentified Persons Database * The database is complete from 1984 to present. What are some concerns with finding out that the state is trying to control this kind of information that's getting out there? Sign Up For Coronavirus Updates From Health News Florida. Coronavirus Data About Claims Pages Editorials Insurance & Adjuster Stats Newsletters Adjuster Update Contact Claims Pages Press Releases. The state made them stop. But the state has been doing it in a in a different way. 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. 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. The data that the commission was providing us didn't include the names of the deceased, but it did include the county where they died, the person's age, their race, their gender. On one hand, you can say that the state has been very transparent. Shamarial Roberson, Florida’s deputy health secretary, blamed delays from medical examiners, doctors and funeral homes. 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. Interactive Map. We were just doing some run-of-the-mill reporting, and in the course of doing that reporting we learned: 1. The … 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. What have you discovered in your attempts to learn why? Florida officials tried to block medical examiners' information about coronavirus deaths. So hopefully, the Department of Law Enforcement will provide that record. CORONAVIRUS: Complete Coverage From WUSF Public Media and Health News Florida. 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. The Medical Examiners Act, Chapter 406, Florida Statutes, was enacted by the 1970 Legislature in order to establish minimum and uniform standards of excellence in statewide medical examiner services. 2. We were trying to pull it down from the state Medical Examiners Commission, the central organization based in Tallahassee. 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. Pinellas is making it available, Broward, Miami-Dade, etc. Contact the district directly for more information.) Website . 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. Facebook Twitter Reddit Email RSS Feed Newsletter Donate. You’ve also noticed differences in reporting at the local level. From what I read of your conversation with the Medical Examiners Commission chair, he did not seem happy about this. 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. That was something that certainly raised questions in our mind. But in many other ways the state has not been transparent. Florida's medical examiners were populating their lists of coronavirus statistics based on deaths by county. 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. So hopefully, the Department of Law Enforcement will provide that record. But the state has been doing it in a in a different way. 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. It's hard to stay on top of it all but Health News Florida and WUSF can help. You're absolutely right. It’s important to note that this information is not standardized among Florida’s 25 district medical examiners, so it will vary by case and county. 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. 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. 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. You're absolutely right. Their list was also including seasonal residents, like snowbirds or visitors, pretty much anybody who died in the state of Florida from COVID-19 was being captured on this medical examiners list. PREV. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project. And they've not yet given it to us. We've made it available in a searchable database. The department does not investigate all deaths. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. Health News Florida's Stephanie Colombini spoke with Times reporter Kathleen McGrory, who along with Rebecca Woolington It is challenging if you have to take a real patchwork approach to try to pull down all of that information. ancianita: Apr 2020 #2: Dammit. We were just doing some run-of-the-mill reporting, and in the course of doing that reporting we learned: 1. The state has only been including Florida residents in its count of COVID-19 deaths. We also spoke to some public records experts in the state of Florida, and they also believe that this should be a public record. (Not all districts have websites. by Kujo17. “We’re getting the data. Hillsborough for a few weeks was not. And so we don't quite know at the moment, but it's been interesting to watch Florida's response to all of this. All the local medical examiners were feeding what they were seeing on the ground into a list that was being maintained at the state level. You’ve also noticed differences in reporting at the local level. To see more, visit WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. It is challenging if you have to take a real patchwork approach to try to pull down all of that information. The data that the commission was providing us didn't include the names of the deceased, but it did include the county where they died, the person's age, their race, their gender. « 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 of Florida’s Bureau of Vital Statistics reported 107,037deaths in Florida during the first six months of 2019. Recent events regarding the COVID pandemic have led to significant access problems to Aviation Medical Examiners and other medical specialists. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 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. 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. Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, commissioned a report by House staffers looking into the death numbers provided by the Florida Department of Health, which relies on data reported by local medical examiners. 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. 1. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online at WUSF.org/give. 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. Exploring the high costs of the pandemic for children and young adults. Palm Beach County, which previously had been making this information available to reporters and members of the public, is not at the moment. Yeah, the chairman of the state Medical Examiners Commission believes that this list is a public record. What are some concerns with finding out that the state is trying to control this kind of information that's getting out there? 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. Pasco County, Florida - Medical Examiners. They had said that they believed it was not a public record. 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. Health News Florida's Stephanie Colombini spoke with Times reporter Kathleen McGrory, who along with Rebecca Woolington has been covering the story. But on Tuesday, they changed their minds. 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. The Medical Examiner investigates all non-natural deaths and a small portion of natural deaths, which occur in Miami-Dade County. 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. State officials are blocking Florida medical examiners from releasing their own list of coronavirus deaths, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The state made them stop. Yeah, the chairman of the state Medical Examiners Commission believes that this list is a public record. So we asked the medical examiners how they were keeping count. But not all of the local medical examiners are right now. Share; Share on Facebook; Tweet on Twitter; Important information about the impact COVID-19 on the enforcement of expiring medical certificates . Hillsborough for a few weeks was not. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online at WUSF.org/give. 10900 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33778. Florida Department of Health, the official count. So we've seen this kind of interference before. The state has only been including Florida residents in its count of COVID-19 deaths. He thoroughly believes it's public and he is puzzled by this move. Has the state issued any reasoning as to why they might want to restrict some of that? Their list was also including seasonal residents, like snowbirds or visitors, pretty much anybody who died in the state of Florida from COVID-19 was being captured on this medical examiners list. Data from medical examiners have not been released in over seven days. 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. Under Florida law, the medical examiners have the responsibility of certifying all of the COVID-19 deaths in the state. 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. They had said that they believed it was not a public record. They were doing it based on the county where the person died. We weren't even aware that the medical examiners were keeping count of coronavirus deaths in Florida until a few weeks ago actually. And so we don't quite know at the moment, but it's been interesting to watch Florida's response to all of this. He thoroughly believes it's public and he is puzzled by this move. April 29, 2020 by IWB. 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. To obtain a medical certificate you must be examined by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). So we've seen this kind of interference before. 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. But in many other ways the state has not been transparent. So they are making that available. What have you discovered in your attempts to learn why? 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. We were trying to pull it down from the state Medical Examiners Commission, the central organization based in Tallahassee. 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. And they've not yet given it to us. REGISTER. Check the Medical Examiner Database to search for the deceased. Pinellas is making it available, Broward, Miami-Dade, etc. 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. So they are making that available. 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. Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. CORONAVIRUS: In speaking with the chairman of the Medical Examiners Commission (Dr. Stephen Nelson), I learned that the decision to not make this list available to the media and to members of the public came after conversations between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Health.