Memorial Business Journal

The story out of Connecticut this week about the state’s plan to end licensing for funeral homes, funeral directors and embalmers seemed to come out of the blue, or in this case, the red. While somewhat perplexing, it is not shocking since governments on all levels are seeking to reduce costs. It’s another sign of the fiscal times.

In a press release under its slogan “Keeping Connecticut Healthy,” the Connecticut Department of Public Health said it would no longer license funeral homes, funeral directors and embalmers, college infirmaries and certain types of clinics.

Said DPH Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen: “We are committed to minimizing the impact of these reductions and ensuring that core public health services continue to be available to people who need them the most. These changes are unfortunate, but DPH is working to be more effective and efficient, focusing our resources on services that best serve the people of Connecticut.”

When asked if he thought that funeral directors and embalmers have much of an impact on the public health, a DPH spokesman, unfortunately, went straight back to the talking points. “None of the cuts that we have put into our plan were easy to make, so what we are trying to do is focus our resources in areas where we feel we can have the greatest impact.”

In the words of Daniel Jowdy, a funeral director and chairman of the state Board of Examiners of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, “Once we lose licensing, we lose the ability to control what occurs.” One consequence of this budgetary strategy would be the elimination of the state’s only funeral home inspector, who would be reassigned to another position within the DPH.

One has to wonder how much thought went into this plan. After all, if this plan goes into effect, it would make the DPH’s own regulations incongruent. It was also unclear as to whether someone who lost their license could re-enter the profession under the new plan. Further, Jowdy noted that if the plan is put into effect, what about the 185 students enrolled in mortuary science programs within the state? Will they be required to graduate? Will funeral directors take six hours of continuing education credits every year?

It is hoped that Connecticut Funeral Directors Association officials will get their meetings with the DPH commissioner. Too bad the press release went out first and the person who could clarify some of these matters was unavailable.

Since governments have recently discovered that spending more than you bring in is bad, their knee-jerk overreactions without considering the consequences could make matters much worse. In the quest for fiscal responsibility, losing sight of what is in the best interest of the public could be just as costly.