Morgue added to Alpena County Jail
ALPENA, Mich. — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners prepared for the worst by doing what they believe is best by adding a morgue to the Alpena County Jail. Plans for adding the morgue came about last year when nursing home deaths began to rise due to COVID.
The county once owned MidMichigan Medical Center in Alpena where they stored unclaimed bodies in their morgue. Once the hospital was sold, the county no longer had access.
The Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Marty Thomson said the uncertainty of COVID led to discussions about renting refrigerated trucks similar to the measures New York had to take. Thomson said fortunately, they never got to that point but he feels they came close.
The commissioners worked hard on grants all last year and out of over $405,000, approximately $150,000 went toward the morgue and county tax payers did not have to come out of pocket.
Although the morgue remains under construction, they are prepared for storage.
