NEW PHILADELPHIA, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Schuylkill County Coroner's Office has a new home, and officials say the move brings major improvements.
From savings on operating costs to upgraded equipment, the new space is designed to better serve the community.
The coroner's office recently moved from the upper floor to a new space on the ground level of their building on Alliance Street in New Philadelphia.
The new location gives more privacy for staff to work.
The facility also boasts new machines to improve autopsy procedures.
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With everything now housed in one place, operations are expected to run more efficiently.
"The improvement we're looking at now is a Randox machine. It is an in-house toxicology machine. We spent about $120,000 to $150,000 a year doing toxicology by sending it out to a lab. This machine will do them in-house. We have a cooler just around the corner, so everything is here within a few seconds of what we need to do. If a family calls and wants to know if we have somebody's loved one, we can basically walk out to the cooler and see what's going on," First Deputy Coroner Administrator Albert Barnes explained.
Officials say the upgrades are part of ongoing efforts to improve services in Schuylkill County.
Anyone interested in seeing the new facility can schedule an appointment.
