Pictured above: Tim Brown, president and CEO of DNA, welcomes funeral home partners for the annual meeting at the new DNA office in Tempe Sept. 27, 2022. Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) works in the realm of deceased organ, eye and tissue donation—with the addition of living donation through the placenta donation program, which comes after a planned C-section. A large element of making the gift of life possible is the support of funeral homes …
While it seems like not much is happening and we do not have a final answer for our members of the future of our profession in Arizona, AFCCA and Capitol Consulting have been keeping the conversations flowing and advocating in the background. Here are a few updates from Jake Hinman, Capitol Consulting, to keep you in the know: Sen. Kaiser was recently named Senate Commerce chair which likely means he will be the bill sponsor …
Funeral Directors have an opportunity to educate the public about the importance and value of meaningful memorialization. In the second edition of its “Value of a Funeral” Consumer Study, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) learned that people who attended a funeral in person found the service meaningful and healing compared to those who attended a service virtually or did not attend a service because a direct disposition option was chosen for their loved one …
Each year, millions of Americans come together to REMEMBER the fallen, HONOR those that serve and their families, and TEACH the next generation about the value of freedom. This gathering of volunteers and patriots takes place in local and national cemeteries in all 50 states – most recently at more than 3,100 participating locations – as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. Each year, a new theme is chosen to help volunteers and supporters focus …
Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act would protect the dignity of donors and offer peace of mind to families. With the introduction of the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act (CDRI Act) (S. 4929) yesterday by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), the Senate today took a significant step toward bringing meaningful change to the largely unregulated process of whole body donation. Donating a loved one’s body for medical research upon their death …
Yesterday, September 13th, was the kick off of stake holder meeting discussions surrounding the Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors & Embalmers and a regulation model. This first meeting’s intent was to hear from the private sector, meaning funeral professionals, as well as other interested parties concerning regulation in the state of Arizona. We are thankful to those who came to represent our profession today, Donna Backhaus Program Director at CGCC Mortuary Science Program; Al …
Funeral service is a high-touch, high-stress career that, unfortunately, comes with a high-degree of compassion fatigue and burnout. To help members of the funeral service profession understand when on-the-job stress might be impacting them and steps they can take to better cope with and preserve their emotional well-being, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has introduced the free Take 5 self-care series. “Effectively managing that stress is so very important because, when we take care …
NFDA 2022 Cremation and Burial Report Shows Nearly Half of Members Now Offer Online Cremation Burial Arrangements with the Cremation Rate Across the Nation Expected to Exceed 50% by 2035 Brookfield, Wis.– The long-lasting repercussions of the COVID-19 are only just now being fully understood as data from the last two years becomes more widely accessible. Data from the 2022 Cremation and Burial Report, released by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), shows that …
Another conference has come and gone! This year’s theme was to “Tell Your Story” where attendees, speakers and supplier/service partners were encouraged to share how they entered into the death care profession and why they are passionate to continue. These stories are incredibly powerful, and it enlightened so many of us to hear from people we have known and worked with for so long. During the opening ceremonies, we welcomed the Phoenix Fire Department Honor …
The association has been very actively involved this past legislative session on HB2123. Originally there was no continuation bill meaning that there would not have been a board as of June 30. The bill that was introduced and then passed will give us the opportunity to meet with legislators to work over the summer and into next legislative session on what the future of the board looks like. We and the members are of course …