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Funeral Directors Deemed Federally Essential Following FSAC Letter to Government
jgreen • Apr 13, 2020
Funeral Directors Deemed Federally Essential
April 13th, 2020, Ottawa (Ontario)
On April 2nd , Public Safety Canada released their Guidance on Essential Services and Functions in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Following a letter from the Funeral Service Association of Canada (FSAC), the guidance included “workers performing mortuary services, including funeral homes, crematoriums and cemetery workers.”
"Acknowledgement by the government of our important work will allow us to continue to serve the communities in which we live and deliver dignified funerals to loved ones.” stated Brett Watson, President of FSAC. “This is also a realization that funeral professionals are at the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to be ready to support governments in their response.”
In the majority of provincial lists of essential services, funeral professionals have been included as they are called upon during times of mass fatalities. Funeral workers are necessary in all aspects of dealing with the deceased after they are released from healthcare facilities.
“Funeral professionals are already working with governments within their jurisdictions to ensure that those who have passed away from COVID-19 are respectfully and properly handled. These frontline workers are essential, but also require the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure they remain safe and healthy. They leave the safety and comfort of their homes and families every day to continue to support thousands of Canadians” continued Watson.
While there continues to be shortages of PPE throughout Canada, all frontline workers including funeral professionals, who play an important role in public health, require the equipment in order to be able to continue to serve their communities. Funeral professionals understand the critical role they play, and how their responsibility in a pandemic supports public health.
“We are calling on all levels of government to make sure that funeral professionals receive the necessary PPE. While our frontline healthcare professionals should continue to be the number one priority in receiving the necessary PPE they require, funeral workers should also be a priority due to the higher risk they face.” concluded Watson.
The Funeral Service Association of Canada (FSAC) is the national association representing funeral homes and professionals from across Canada.
Media Contact:
Kyle Larkin, FSAC Liaison
Telephone: 905-449-9077
Email: kyle@impactcanada.com
IMPORTANT:
FSAC Provides Local MP & Health Letter Templates for Funeral Professionals Following Federally Essential Designation: https://www.fsac.ca/fsac-provides-local-mp-health-letter-templates-for-funeral-professionals-to-send
FSAC Provides Local MP & Health Letter Templates for Funeral Professionals Following Federally Essential Designation: https://www.fsac.ca/fsac-provides-local-mp-health-letter-templates-for-funeral-professionals-to-send
FSAC has received a letter from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, confirming that frontline essential workers are recommend to be vaccinated in the 2nd round of vaccinations. Read the full letter below.
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Information on Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) / Mise à jour : Informations sur maladie à coronavirus
Information on Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
FSAC Receives Acknowledgement of Priority Consideration for Vaccine
December 3 rd , 2020 Dr. Matthew Tunis Executive Secretary, National Advisory Committee on Immunization 130 Colonnade Road Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 Dear Dr. Tunis, Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, deathcare workers in Canada have worked alongside frontline healthcare workers to ensure that the deceased from the virus are safely dealt with. We have appreciated Health Canada’s and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s support with the provinces to ensure that our sector is supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) and through other means. However, as news emerges of potential vaccines on the horizon, I am writing you regarding the priority sequence for vaccination. While we encourage frontline healthcare workers who deal with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis to be at the top of the list for vaccinations, we believe because of the risk that our sector takes on that deathcare workers should have priority over the general public. When an individual passes away from COVID-19, the responsibility falls to deathcare workers to ensure that the body is properly dealt with in a safe manner in order to not spread the disease further. Our workers attend the facilities in which the death occurred and interact with staff that have been directly exposed to the virus, which represents an increased risk to the individual. While deathcare workers have been specifically trained to minimize risk through procedural alterations and use of PPE, this does not remove the potential for infection completely. This is why we believe the federal government must work with its provincial counterparts in ensuring that deathcare workers are included in the list of priority for vaccination. The National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) in the U.S. recently released their framework which included deathcare workers in the highest priority phase for vaccine allocation, and we believe Canada should follow suit. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at info@fsac.ca . We understand that your office is preoccupied with this situation, and appreciate any time you can give to considering our members. Thank you, Allan Cole President Funeral Service Association of Canada 800-1730 boul. St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, ON K1G 3Y7 613-505-0277 · info@fsac.ca · www.fsac.ca
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