WILKEY: Most qualified coroner

I am a retired ER nurse and have worked with and know both Deb Wilkey and Dr. Keene.

I met Deb in the early 1990s when she was an RN in the emergency department. Even then, her goal and dream was to become a coroner. Through the years with dedication and hard work, including obtaining a Masters in FORENSIC Anthropology and working under Dr. Robert West for 6 years as deputy coroner, she finally reached her goal and was elected Kootenai County Coroner in 2010. She continues to grow in her position becoming the 9th coroner in all of Idaho to be a registered certified medicolegal death investigator, which speaks volumes for her dedication to excellence and the passion she has for her job.

To say you are going to cut the budget and to criticize budget decisions without researching what expenses are involved in the Coroners office is a rash statement. Deb has cut the budget in different areas, and has a plan to resolve issues with other expenses that are going up.

I have worked with Dr. Keene and know how hard ED physicians work, and how exhausting the work is. What I am concerned about is how anyone with the schedule they have can find the time and energy to devote time to the job of coroner, as well as the job of a busy ED physician. I understand there is 168 hours that have to be covered on an on-call basis by two persons, the coroner and chief deputy, in one week.

Deb is 100 percent committed to being the coroner without being distracted by another job.

Dr. Keene’s expertise is Emergency Medicine. Deb Wilkey, with a degree in Forensics Anthropology, is the expert in forensics and death investigation, and that is what the coroner does.

ARLENE ANDERSON

Hayden