Temporary morgue in Hilo set to alleviate over capacity in hospitals by this spring

A new, long-awaited temporary morgue is set to open in late April at 540 Kupuna Place in Hilo to alleviate the overcrowding of the morgues at the Hilo Benioff Medical Center and Kona Community Hospital.

Last year, the Hilo Benioff Medical Center, which can hold up to 16 bodies in its aging morgue facility, was over capacity and asked Hawaiʻi County to store the bodies that did not die in the hospital to be held elsewhere.

According to state law, the chief of police in each county is the county coroner, and police officers are deputy coroners. Police, as coroners, have used the hospital’s morgue as a holding facility for bodies in coroner’s inquest cases and criminal investigations.

In September, the county purchased temporary cold-storage with two 40-foot refrigerated containers for just under $80,000 to be used as the temporary facility. Each container will be able to hold 20 to 30 bodies each, according to Hawaiʻi Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz.

On Monday night, nearly 30 community members attended a meeting held by the Hawai‘i County Police Department and the Hawaiʻi County Public Works Department to discuss the new morgue.

The Department of Public Works said a 10-foot wall around the containers, with fencing, security, locks, lights and cameras.

While some members of the community were concerned about noise form generator, Hawaiʻi Assistant Police Chief Sherry Bird said that the generators only will be used if the electricity goes out.

She added: “There will be no autopsies at this location and bodies will only be held until they are released to the mortuaries.”

Police have a contract with Clinical Labs of Hawaiʻi to perform autopsies, and mortuaries have their own smaller morgues, holding bodies prior to embalming, cremation or burial.

During the meeting, the Hawaiʻi Police Department said there will be an expectation for funeral homes and mortuaries to claim the bodies of decendents after autopsies in a timely manner to avoid any need for overflow storage capacity.

“While we have the temporary facility, we will be searching for a location for an islandwide morgue facility,” Bird said. “However, the temporary facility will be in use for multiple years because it will be a lot of money to build this future facility.”

Before leaving office last year, Mayor Mitch Roth signed Bill 180 into law. The legislation, introduced by Puna Councilman Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder, added $1.5 million for a permanent county morgue to the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s capital budget and authorized the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund the project.

According to Bird, the Kona Community Hospital already has an extra 40-foot container that has been working for the overcrowding on the west side and the temporary morgue will mostly be used for East Hawaiʻi.

The Department of Public Works said that if shipments remain on schedule, the temporary morgue should be in use by the end of April.

For more information or to ask questions, contact Bird at 808-961-2261 or email Sherry.Bird@hawaiicounty.gov.