Medical examiner title now Howard’s

Spokane County has a new medical examiner. But it still has its old medical examiner, too.

This week, Spokane County commissioners unanimously appointed Dr. John D. Howard as the county’s medical examiner.

Last year, county commissioners hired Howard to act as the co-medical examiner with Dr. Sally Aiken. But county officials say state law requires that one person be officially designated with the title. Until now, Aiken had the top designation.

Aiken and Howard have agreed to rotate the official title annually. But as a practical matter, they say, their jobs won’t change.

“Either of us would be perfectly happy to be chief,” Howard said.

In a list of county, city, school district and other government employees compiled by The Spokesman-Review last year, Aiken and Howard topped the salary list. In 2008, they’ll each earn $184,278.

Howard, 52, was previously chief medical examiner in Pierce County.

Aiken has been Spokane County medical examiner since 2001.

Howard and Aiken earned medical degrees at the University of Washington in 1982.

“The benefit to the community is you’re getting two people with a great deal of formal training in our field and (who) both have that administrative experience,” said Howard, who is vice president of the National Association of Medical Examiners.

The county does about 400 autopsies a year plus 150 to 200 autopsies for surrounding counties, Aiken said.

Before the county had dual medical examiners, Aiken had a deputy examiner. Aiken said that when the deputy left, the growing workload required two deputies or to bring on someone who has the kind of experience that Howard does.

Autopsies in Spokane County are performed at Holy Family Hospital.