Fall 2008 Newsletter - Virginia Department of Health Professions

P a g e 6Licensees have the option of renewing online atwww.dhp.virginia.gov To access this feature you musthave a PIN number, which is provided in the renewalnotice; for security reasons PIN numbers are not issuedover the phone. If you have lost your PIN number youmay request a new temporary PIN athttp://www.dhp.virginia.gov/mylicense/requestpass.htmYou will need to complete all of the sections on the webpageand hit Submit Request. A new temporary PINnumber will be sent to the address of record by U.S.postal mail. You should allow 7 to 10 business days forreceipt of the new temporary PIN number. If you believethat your address of record is incorrect please contactthe board office to update our records. All addresschanges must be in writing, you may e-mail your addresschange to FANBD@dhp.virginia.gov or fax to 804-527-4413, or you mail the change to the board’s address.V i r g i n i aB o a r d o f F u n e r a l D i r e c t o r s a n d E m b a l m e r sD e p a r t m e n t o f H e a l t h P r o f e s s i o n sLicensure RenewalThe Department of Health Professions will mail a renewalnotice to the licensee outlining the procedures for renewal.Failure to receive the renewal notice, however, shall notrelieve the licensee of the obligation to renew the licenseand maintain the required continuing education hours.If a license holder fails to receive the renewal notice, acopy of the old license may be submitted as evidence ofintent to renew, along with a statement indicating compliancewith the required continuing education hours in additionto with the required renewal fee.A S o b e r i n g R e m i n d e r t o L i c e n s e e s . . .“Every morning we strap our three yearoldgranddaughter into a booster seat inthe back seat of our car and take her toher preschool. The same practice is followedanytime she gets into any vehicle.It makes sense and it is the law!Do funeral processionals follow the sameprocedure when using their limousinesand transporting small children duringfuneral services? From my non-scientificobservations, it appears they don’t.We’ve experienced times where we usedour own or the child’s family had abooster seat that could be placed in therear seat of the limousine.Recently I returned from a fatal accidentinvolving two funeral home limousinesthat were on the way back from a funeral.Another vehicle coming in the oppositedirection, was passing a car. Thefirst limousine tried to avoid the obviouscollision, but still ended up being struckand ended up on the far side of the road,upside down.The second limousine was struckhead-on. The young child in the middleseat was killed immediately.As the owner of on of the limousines,I was called to the accident scene.Standing beside the totaled automobile,my eyes filled with tears as I sawthe tarp covering the body of a smallchild, still laying in the middle seat; alife snuffed out before it truly lived.Hindsight is 20/20. If the child hadbeen restrained in a child safety seatand in the back seat...A young child isdead before they could make an impacton our world….or has it?Please be sure that all children are inchild restraint or safety seats. Maybethis reminder could save others.”Used with the permission ofMr. Beacham McDougald, Owner, McDougald Funeral Home and Crematorium,Laurinburg, NC