Ken Furlong, Carson City Sheriff
Sheriff Ken Furlong celebrates the appointment of a new Senior Deputy Coroner at the Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with Organ Donation Month. Ms. Pettie Braninburg was appointed to replace retiring Senior Coroner Ruth Rhines who had filled the position of Coroner at the Sheriff’s Office for over 21 years.
Ms. Braninburg has been with the Coroner’s Office since 2018 and along with her experience as a former nurse, she brings a great deal of knowledge, experience, and credit to the office.
Ms. Braninburg’s appointment takes place coincidently along with National Organ Donation Awareness Month. She, along with her deputies, would like to bring further awareness and education to the donation process and help educate the community about organ, eye, and tissue gifts of life.
The month of April celebrates the life-saving power of organ and tissue donations and honors the donors who make it all possible. Ms. Braninburg encourages everyone to give serious consideration to this powerful, wonderful life-saving capacity that we all possess.
We are all placed at an advantage when we give forethought to becoming a life-saving donor and take the necessary steps of communicating our wishes to our family and friends. This attention allows families to respond timely and confidently on the behalf of loved ones at the grief-stricken time of death.
The Coroner’s Office can assist with organ, eye, and tissue donations by being the communications conduit between the family and donor services during difficult times. Braninburg said that death notifications are made by our staff to donor services, who will then reach out to the surviving family or next-of-kin to initiate the donation process.
The process does not place a monetary burden upon the family, but instead may lesson any angst that they may have regarding the honoring of hero wishes.
Sheriff Furlong welcomes Ms. Braninburg and thanks the long career efforts of Ms. Rhines for doing their part to making Carson City a better place.
