Washoe County Medical Examiner's Office receives award

Staff honored at 2019 Heroes with Heart event

Reno, Nev. Feb. 28, 2019. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office (WCRMEO) was recently honored with a special recognition from Trauma Intervention Programs (TIP) of Northern Nevada.  TIP is a national non-profit organization that specializes in assisting those who are emotionally traumatized in an emergency situation. TIP hosts an annual event that honors the first responders in our community that go beyond the call of duty throughout the year to provide compassionate support to citizens in crisis.

WCRMEO staff member, Nicole Franklin (pictured left) received the 2019 Heroes with Heart award for her compassionate interaction with surviving families of a deceased individual. Franklin is a Medicolegal Death Investigator/Technician and has worked for the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office for nearly eight years. This is the fourth year an employee of the Medical Examiner’s Office has won the award. Another WCRMEO employee, Medicolegal Death Investigator/Technician Kelli Oxborrow, was also nominated for the award, as was retired employee Karen Jessop.

“I am proud of Nicole and Kelli for their compassion and dedication to the families our office serves” says Dr. Laura D. Knight, Washoe County Chief Medical Examiner & Coroner.

The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office serves 20 counties in Nevada and California and handles about 5,000 reported deaths each year.

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