Details
September 11, 2025
3:00PM - 7:00PM
District Meeting - Altoona
Blair County Convention Center
2025 District Meetings
SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
Altoona
Blair County Convention Center
1 Convention Center Drive
Altoona, PA 16602
ALL MEETINGS 3PM-7PM
PFDA Members can earn 3 FREE CE credits!
2025 District Meeting Speakers
Graham HetrickDauphin County Coroner |
Carla BosslerHuman Services Analyst Supervisor, DHS |
The Relationship Between Medico Legal Investigation and Funeral Service - 2 CE Credits |
Preplanning Guidelines - 1 CE Credit |
During this session participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the central topic Medico Legal Investigation as it relates to Death Scenes and the role of all those involved such as first responders, forensic personnel and those serving the family through funeral service. Learn how to develop critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills for all those involved in the processing of a death scene. Also, how to apply your new knowledge to practical scenarios. |
This interactive webinar will provide information on preplanning rules and guidelines that need to be followed by funeral directors in Pennsylvania. Topic areas covered will include, but not be limited to: funding limits by county, how the limits are determined, the part of the funeral director in this process, the difference between the average cost of a funeral in your county (limit) and the limit +25% and which should be used when having discussions with families, which county limit should be considered if the funeral home is in a different county than the residence of the person for whom the arrangements are being made, items that are allowed to be included in a prearrangement and those that cannot, when prearrangements that have been completed can be reviewed by a CAO and what triggers these reviews, what options are available if insurance already exists, and requirements when preplanning. |
---|---|
BIO: Coroner Hetrick is a nationally certified medicolegal death investigator through the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, the PA Coroner's Association, the Institute for Behavioral Profiling, and the National Coroner/ME Advisory Board for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. He has received advanced training in bloodstain pattern analysis, crime scene management, forensic sculpting, and shallow grave recovery, and has participated in hundreds of homicide investigations. Graham's forensic interests began early in life-he was raised above his father's funeral home, Hetrick Funeral Home in Harrisburg. In the 1960s, he served in the United States Army, first with the Military Police and later with the 52nd Criminal Investigation Division. He acted as Provost Marshal for southern Germany, investigating a range of complex criminal cases. Following his military service, he returned home to complete his education and spent many years as a funeral director before becoming Coroner. In addition to his public service, Coroner Hetrick is an adjunct professor at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, where he teaches courses in forensic science and anatomy. He is also a member of the Colonial Park Rotary and serves as an advisor to Estamos Unidos of PA. A frequent lecturer on thanatology and the grieving process, his work has been featured on Medical Detectives, Forensic Files, and the History Channel's Corps Tech, which he helped write and narrate. |
BIO: Carla is a lifelong resident of Berks County where she currently resides in the home her great-grandfather built. She spends her free time remodeling her home, gardening, watching sci-fi flicks, crafting, and reading. Carla enjoys being with her friends who live all over the state and usually meets them for coffee (her addiction) or brunch. Prior to working for the state, she was a ski instructor, a fast-food worker, a substitute teacher, a preschool teacher, and a roller derby player and official (until injuring her back). Carla has worked in long term care since 2014 when she was hired as an Income Maintenance Caseworker in Berks County. In 2016 she joined the Long-Term Care Unit in the Bureau of Policy and continued to work with them until 2019. In 2019 Carla transitioned into an oversight role within the Office of Long-Term Living. She served in this oversight role until 2023 when she returned to the Bureau of Policy as the Long-Term Care Supervisor. Carla continues to teach LTC and HCBS policy in her role with the state and says MA LTC policy is ultimately something she care a lot about. |