New Mexico regulates funeral services; Colorado should, too

Re: “Lawmakers unveil bill to fix lax funeral home rules,” March 5 news story

I am a licensed funeral service practitioner in New Mexico currently serving a second term as a member of the New Mexico Funeral Services Board.

I clearly remember 1983 when the Colorado funeral service regulatory board was disbanded, leaving our industry open to everyone and anyone who wanted to open and own or operate a funeral service establishment in Colorado. I am not one who favors governmental regulation in many forms, but as Colorado sunsetted its funeral board, my colleagues in New Mexico held a strong belief that the education of practitioners and oversight of our industry is important to maintain high ethical and moral standards.

Thankfully most complaints we receive in New Mexico have less to do with criminal or egregious acts than with poor communication and a lack of patience, caring and empathy. The labor market in our industry is challenged nationwide, but the high levels of sensitivity and compassion that make a funeral home a caring, reliable and ethical establishment require education, inspection and oversight.

The horror of the situation in Colorado Springs sickens me to my core, and my heart goes out to every single family member and dead human body who has not received the care and professional treatment that basic human dignity demands. I suggest it is time for Colorado to rethink the licensing of death care personnel and establishments, to re-create a board that has the authority to set educational requirements, issue professional credentials, conduct criminal background checks and reestablish governmental inspections of death care establishments in Colorado. — Rick Berardinelli, Santa Fe