Published February 22, 2024 at 7:54 AM CST
A long-sought regional forensic science lab will go up on the Northcentral Technical College campus in Wausau.
County Administrator Lance Leonhard says death investigations, autopsies, and other aspects of forensic science technology have passed the region by, so it’s time to play catchup. “Local health systems used to have the capacity to do autopsies. That changed more than 15 years ago, they became less available. So we have to rely on counties in southern and southeastern Wisconsin to procure those vital services to help families get answers and criminal investigations to move forward. This investment is going to bring those opportunities back to North Central Wisconsin.”
It will also provide a space to preserve donatable organs, eyes, and bones along with space for hands-on learning for medical and high school students. None of that is possible at the current morgue.
The project is funded through a $7 million investment from the state on the condition that the funds are matched locally. Leonhard says they have applied for federal funding as well. The roughly $10 million that’s currently in hand includes ARPA funds from the county and is enough to get the facility up and operational.
The project has a $3 million funding gap, but Leonhard says that won’t stop them from breaking ground. He’s confident that more community partners will come in to close that gap and allow the building to reach its full potential as “more than a morgue.”
Leonhard was joined by representatives from the B.A. and Esther Greenheck Foundation, Community Foundation of Northcentral Wisconsin, NTC, and the Medical College of Wisconsin for Wednesday’s announcement.
NTC President Dr. Jeannie Worden says it presents an opportunity for the school to provide a needed service while allowing their students to gain real-world experience. “This state-of-the-art space will replicate the work environment. When people go in they will be working with doctors, paramedics, coroners, all different levels [of professionals.] That gives our learners and our community a leg up.
Worden says students from other schools including the Medical College of Wisconsin-Wausau campus, UWSP Wausau, and local high schools will also have a chance to learn in the new lab. “We will have educational pathways in multiple areas,” she added.
The facility will be built in Parking Lot E on the NTC campus, near the Center for Business and Industry and the motorcycle testing area. Worden adds that the facility will have access to NTC’s
Space at the NTC campus that will become a regional Forensic Science Lab. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
digital infrastructure, meaning there will be no need to build that from scratch. That connectivity will also allow NTC to broadcast continuing education classes through their current online platform while they train local coroners and forensic science professionals closer to home.
“Right now they have to travel elsewhere for that continuing education [when that could happen] right here. We will be able to do that in person or through our robust online module,” said Worden.
Leonhard expects that the County Board will be able to approve the construction contracts in the next few weeks, with groundbreaking later this summer. No completion date has been set.
