Episode 250 - The Ordinary Extraordinary Truth About America's Deathcare
Get ready to confront the uncomfortable truths about death and dying in America, and discover how we can work towards a more equitable system for all. This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast, Jennie and Dianne are joined by Staci Savattaro and Jennifer Wright-Berryman, co-authors of the upcoming book "Equity at the End: The New American Way of Death". From eco-friendly burials to affordable body disposition, they discuss the disparities in access to resources and the biases that shape the system. Whether you're interested in public policy, social work, or simply navigating the often-confusing world of deathcare, this Ordinary Extraordinary conversation is sure to be enlightening.
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Staci Zavattaro, PhD, is a professor of public administration at the University of Central Florida. Her research focuses on public servants working in death management. She has published books and articles on municipal cemetery management, medical examiners and coroners, and death equity. Her favorite cemetery changes depending upon the day you ask her.
Jennifer Wright-Berryman is a suicidologist, mental health expert, death care researcher, and Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati. She studies equitable death care for LGBTQIA+ communities and is the co-author (with Dr. Staci Zavattaro) of the forthcoming book Equity at the End: The New American Way of Death. She is also the co-founder of Equal Deathcare https://www.equaldeathcare.org/
with funeral director Kat Vancil-Coleman. Their work at Equal Deathcare is focused on bringing death care resources to LGBTQIA+ communities.