Union County updates South Piedmont regional autopsy center plan, operations and toxicology study
March 13, 2026 | Union County, North Carolina
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County capital and operations staff updated the board on the South Piedmont Regional Autopsy Center project and a running temporary operation opened in December 2024.
Chris (project lead) reviewed the project scope and budget: a roughly 15,100‑square‑foot facility with four autopsy stations, a decomp/isolated station, and coolers sized to hold 93 decedents (77 in the main cooler, 16 in the decomp cooler). The project budget was shown at about $20.5 million with design‑development estimates slightly over that figure; staff said value engineering and limited operating reserves could address the variance. The project schedule presented aimed for construction documents to finish in March, bidding in mid‑2026, construction start in August 2026 and a roughly 15‑month build to a late‑2027 completion target.
Clayton and Stephanie Dudley, the facility business manager, described operational progress: the county opened a temporary facility at Atrium Union on Dec. 16, 2024, and has begun accepting regional cases. Dudley told the board that the facility had billed approximately $845,350 to date (with some receipts billed for autopsy work and other charges pending completion payments) and said SPRAAC was meeting national performance standards for case completion—staff reported approximately 98% of autopsies are finalized within the 90‑day standard and average case sign out is about six to seven weeks.
On toxicology, staff said current state policy requires toxicology specimens be submitted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Raleigh and that OCME testing has been provided to counties free of charge. Staff warned that turnaround used to be measured in many months but is now about 37 days locally; however, the county is initiating a feasibility study to evaluate options for on‑site toxicology capacity, third‑party contracts, or partnerships while continuing to comply with OCME attestation rules that require submission of official samples to the state. The county plans to report the feasibility results to the board by the end of the month or early April.
Staff also described a state‑directed operating grant mechanism for SPRAAC (the county said the facility receives $2 million in recurring operating funds from the statute and $20 million in non‑recurring design/construction funds) and explained the county will take on Gaston County autopsy work on June 30, which is expected to add roughly 130 autopsies annually and factor into near‑term staffing requests. Staff said initial operating hires (for FY‑27) would be reimbursable under the state grant structure.
The board asked clarifying questions about cooler capacity, community funeral‑home arrangements for short‑term storage, and whether the county would ever be required to fund toxicology locally if state policy changes. Staff said they would return with the toxicology feasibility report and further operational cost projections.
Chris (project lead) reviewed the project scope and budget: a roughly 15,100‑square‑foot facility with four autopsy stations, a decomp/isolated station, and coolers sized to hold 93 decedents (77 in the main cooler, 16 in the decomp cooler). The project budget was shown at about $20.5 million with design‑development estimates slightly over that figure; staff said value engineering and limited operating reserves could address the variance. The project schedule presented aimed for construction documents to finish in March, bidding in mid‑2026, construction start in August 2026 and a roughly 15‑month build to a late‑2027 completion target.
Clayton and Stephanie Dudley, the facility business manager, described operational progress: the county opened a temporary facility at Atrium Union on Dec. 16, 2024, and has begun accepting regional cases. Dudley told the board that the facility had billed approximately $845,350 to date (with some receipts billed for autopsy work and other charges pending completion payments) and said SPRAAC was meeting national performance standards for case completion—staff reported approximately 98% of autopsies are finalized within the 90‑day standard and average case sign out is about six to seven weeks.
On toxicology, staff said current state policy requires toxicology specimens be submitted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Raleigh and that OCME testing has been provided to counties free of charge. Staff warned that turnaround used to be measured in many months but is now about 37 days locally; however, the county is initiating a feasibility study to evaluate options for on‑site toxicology capacity, third‑party contracts, or partnerships while continuing to comply with OCME attestation rules that require submission of official samples to the state. The county plans to report the feasibility results to the board by the end of the month or early April.
Staff also described a state‑directed operating grant mechanism for SPRAAC (the county said the facility receives $2 million in recurring operating funds from the statute and $20 million in non‑recurring design/construction funds) and explained the county will take on Gaston County autopsy work on June 30, which is expected to add roughly 130 autopsies annually and factor into near‑term staffing requests. Staff said initial operating hires (for FY‑27) would be reimbursable under the state grant structure.
The board asked clarifying questions about cooler capacity, community funeral‑home arrangements for short‑term storage, and whether the county would ever be required to fund toxicology locally if state policy changes. Staff said they would return with the toxicology feasibility report and further operational cost projections.
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