Death Certificates Automation Will Help Families

Back row (Left to Right): Emily Reid, Johnston County Health Department Assistant Deputy Registrar; Craig Olive, Johnston County Register of Deeds; Jeff Wilson, Johnston County Computer Analyst. Front Row: Jennifer Narron Holloman, Johnston County Health Department Assistant Deputy Registrar and Amy Zieverink, Assistant Register of Deeds/Vitals Records Supervisor

The Johnston County Register of Deeds Office, along with the Johnston County Health Department, has announced the start of a new automated system for processing death certificates.

“While we are waiting for the NC Vital Records to implement their electronic death certificate system, which may take a few years, I saw the need to help funeral home personnel to get their death certificates faster which, in turns, helps out the families that they serve,” stated Register of Deeds Craig Olive.

Steve Strickland, Assistant Health Director, agreed. “We look forward to working with the Register of Deeds to make this process as efficient as possible.”

Olive directed his computer systems analyst to explore a way to more efficiently move death certificates from the Health Department to the Register of Deeds Office while still maintaining security of the information.  The agencies agreed to allow the Health Department to scan the death certificates over to a file location within the county’s network.  From there, the Register of Deeds staff will open the folder containing the files, save them to their computer, and then print them out to be recorded in their recording software.

“This new process saves time and money for both the funeral homes and the families that they serve,” Olive said Wednesday. “When the funeral home personnel walk in the door at the Register of Deeds Office, they can pick up the certificates instead of having to wait for them to be processed, printed and certified.”