Hospital closures cause issues for morgue and 911 centers

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Due to the possible closure of Trumbull Regional Medical Center , plans to relocate the morgue have been expedited.

The move has been in the works for quite some time but the project to renovate the space that’ll house it hasn’t gone out to bid yet. The morgue is currently located in the hospital and since there’s a possibility it could close, officials needed to act quickly.

The county has intended to renovate the building that previously housed the Trumbull County Combined Health District on Chestnut Avenue in Warren to accommodate the County Coroner’s Office.

“It’s just stepping the process up of something that’s already been in the works for more than a year,” said County Commissioner Denny Malloy.

That work was not expected to be finished until spring or summer of 2025.

“We’re gonna have to move to a temporary location,” said Trumbull County Coroner Dr. Lawrence D’Amico.

Now that the hospital could close, the county is working out the details to set up a temporary morgue at the Emergency Management Agency using a mobile cooling unit from the Ohio Department of Health.

“What we are looking at is it’s going to take about three or four weeks to set this morgue up which is why it can’t wait too much longer because if they all of a sudden shut that building down or we don’t have access to it, our equipment — I’m going to be behind the eight ball with the month to get ready,” said Dr. D’Amico.

“It’s one of those issues of sort of collateral damage from this you know, you see the ripple effect of this in all walks of life,” said County Commissioner Mauro Cantalamesssa.

Some equipment necessary for autopsies such as X-rays will need to be purchased ahead of schedule for use in the temporary space.

“It could work out in a blessing in some ways because I think the pricing that we’re getting now is gonna be a lot more forgiving than if we waited a year,” Cantalamessa said.

There are also concerns surrounding some of the county 911 center’s utilities should neighboring Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital close.

The 911 center’s electricity, water, and sewer are tied to the Hillside hospital. County Auditor Martha Yoder brought the issue up during the commissioner’s workshop Tuesday.

Yoder says the county was aware the building’s electricity was tied to Steward, but only recently learned water and sewer are too. She says Steward had been billing the county for electricity usage.

Yoder noted the company owes the sanitary engineer’s office $40,000 for sewer services and also owes the City of Warren for water, she just doesn’t know how much.

“There are plans in place to make sure we’re receiving the bills and that we’re paying for services rendered so we’re working through those details logistically,” Cantalamessa said.

The county acquired the 911 center building from the Hillside Hospital in 1998.

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