May 2021

Page A30 MAY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A SHROUDS Green Burial Cremation www.kinkaraco.com (415) 874-9698 100% American Made We test ours in the lab soyoudon’t have to test it in the real world. 1-800-992-1925 | CustomAirTrays.com © Custom Air Trays YOURWORST-CASE SCENARIO...WOULDHAVENEVER HAPPENEDWITHOURLEAK-RESISTANT COMBINATION TRAY. PIMS announces Tuition Freeze for Second Straight Academic Year Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING TM ® www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com News Educational ContinueD The Conference holds 117th Annual Meeting Virtually PITTSBURGH,PA— At their semi-annual meet- ing on March 21, 2021, the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science ap- proved a tuition freeze for the academic year of 2021- 2022. This will be for both campus and online students; it is the second straight academic year that the tuition at the institute has been held in check. James O. Pinkerton, PIMS board chair stated, “We appreciate the uncer- tainties our students have continued to face through- out the COVID-19 pan- demic and we hope this de- cision to freeze tuition for the second consecutive year demonstrates our concern and compassion for all of our students during these ex- traordinary times.” Pinker- ton added, “The board re- mains committed to funding educational grants that will enable students to achieve their goals in funeral service.” FAYETTEVILLE,AR— Members of the funeral service regulatory com- munity from the United States and Canada gathered virtually for the 117th Annual Meeting of The In- ternational Conference of Funer- al Service Examining Boards, Inc., February 24–25, 2021. The Confer- ence welcomed over 135 attendees from 41 states and provinces to dis- cuss current issues facing the group as well as hear updates on funeral ser- vice legislation, legal issues, and how to handle the complaint process vir- tually. Participants were able to share specific experiences on the challenges they faced last year and hear about innovative ways to continue fulfill- ing their public protection mandates during a pandemic. Attended by senior staff members, the Administrator’s Forum offers an opportunity to discuss the adminis- trative roles for boards and staff on current challenges. This year, topics included alkaline hydrolysis, regu- lation of transporters, background check restrictions, and conducting inspections during the pandemic. A concurrent session for board mem- bers and affiliated funeral service colleagues, Board Member Training 101, offered a cursory overview of the roles and responsibilities of board members. Licensing Exams Demys- tified provided details on the exam creation and development process as well as an overview of item writing, question validation, scoring, and an outline of the test taker experience. Regulators and colleagues benefit- ted from an exchange of ideas re- garding stakeholder communica- tion efforts, adaptations, and what the new normal may be for funeral service licensing and regulation post COVID-19 during panel discus- sions. Pending legislation, universal licensure, disclosure of criminal con- victions on licensing applications, al- kaline hydrolysis regulations, and the viability of a collective practitioner database were robust topics for the group as well. The Conference is divided into nine districts and attendees are able to dis- cuss key issues in a small group set- ting to help drive regulatory initia- tives for the future. Elections were held for The Conference Board of Di- rectors for Districts 1, 6, and 8. Rob- ert Barnes (Maine) was re-elected as District 1 Director; Martin Rieken (Iowa) was elected as District 6 Di- rector; and Karen Carruthers (Al- berta) was elected District 8 Director. For the conclusion of the two-day meeting District 2 Director Blair Nelsen was elected as President of The Conference; District 9 Director Jennifer Kandt was elected as Vice President; and District 4 Director Jon Rettig was elected as Secretary- Treasurer. The Conference looks for- ward to the coming year under their very capable leadership. The Conference would like to thank all of our presenters: Cheryl Grossman, Ohio Board of Embalm- ers and Funeral Directors; Nicole McClendon, District of Columbia Board of Funeral Directors; Ellen Simon, Florida Division of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services; Dale Atkinson, Atkinson Firm; Eric D’Astolfo, Pearson VUE; Glenn Bower, Texas Funeral Service Com- mission; Thomas Fuller, New York Bureau of Funeral Directing; and Gina Sanchez, California Funeral and Cemetery Bureau. Their con- tributions were immeasurable to the success of our program. The Conference Annual Meet- ing provides a valuable opportuni- ty for those interested in furthering funeral service regulation to ex- change information, problem-solv- ing strategies, and goals for the fu- ture of the profession. The 118th Annual Meeting is set for Febru- ary 23-24, 2022, in Houston, TX. For more information on the Annu- al Meeting or The Conference, visit www.theconferenceonline.org. Send Us Your News! 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