NEW: Violation puts Baue Funeral Homes on probation
Two people practiced embalming without license
Baue Funeral Homes faces a year-long probation and will lose its license at one funeral home for seven days after it violated state law by having two embalmers practice without a license in 2004 and 2005.
The incidents occurred in the spring of 2004 when two people — a student and an intern — misled a new supervisor about the status of their licenses and worked in the embalming area, said Lisa Baue, president of Baue Funeral Homes.
As a result, Baue Funeral Home at 620 Jefferson St. in St. Charles will shut down for a week in late June. The suspension does not affect the company’s two other funeral homes in St. Charles County.
"(The supervisor) trusted some things that perhaps should have been checked out," Baue said. "We have new processes in place, so we require complete additional documentation."
Under state law, a person must have a license to practice embalming, although students and interns are allowed to work under the supervision of a licensed embalmer.
On May 13, Baue reached a settlement with the Missouri Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, the governmental body that oversees funeral homes, and avoided having the case heard by the Administrative Hearing Commission.
Kim Grinston, legal counsel for the Missouri Division of Professional Registration, said settling outside the court system typically makes the process go faster. She said the penalties agreed to in a settlement typically are of the similar severity that the Administrative Hearing Commission would assess.
Punishment can range from a letter of censure to suspension or revocation of a license, depending on the severity of the problem, she said.
"The issue with (Baue) was making sure that everyone in the embalming room was appropriately licensed," she said. "There were persons in the embalming room that were not being adequately supervised by the embalmer. Not to suggest the embalmer was not around, (but) we had some concerns that they were left in the room.
"Embalming is a scientific process that involves the preservation of a body and if done incorrectly could have negative impact on the final appearance of the body, Grinston said.
The settlement calls for a seven-day suspension of the Jefferson Street’s facility. Baue said that facility will be closed the last week of June during planned renovations.
Baue Funeral Home at 311 Wood St. in O’Fallon and Baue Funeral and Memorial Center at 3950 West Clay St. in St. Charles will remain open to serve people, she said.
Baue Funeral Homes will be on probation for one year. During the probation period, state investigators may visit to review documents or look at the facility.
The license of a former supervisor, who has since retired from the funeral business, was suspended for a week as part of the settlement. That suspension ended last week.
"We’ve been actually working with the state board for four years on these three minor incidences to try to clear this up with them," Baue said. "After four years as a company you say it’s time to move on."
