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Funeral Providers Stand Ready to Serve
jgreen • Mar 30, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Funeral Providers Stand Ready to Serve
March 30th, 2020, Ottawa (Ontario) – The President of the Funeral Service Association of Canada (FSAC), Brett Watson, made an announcement today on behalf of funeral professionals across Canada.
“Our members, who are funeral professionals located across Canada, are doing their best to serve the needs of the communities they serve during this pandemic. We want to reassure Canadians that we continue to support grieving families and that their loved ones are still able to receive dignified funerals.” Stated Watson.
Recommendations by the federal government and provincial governments to work from home and self-isolate does impact funeral providers, but the profession continues to do their best to serve their communities. Funerals continue to take place with smaller gatherings limited to immediate family and limited interaction with mourners. All physical contact is discouraged while this situation unfolds.
“Unfortunately, over the last week, Canada has seen it’s first deaths in several provinces due to COVID-19. Funeral professionals are on the front-line of dealing with the deceased of this virus, and while we stand ready to serve, the health and safety of our professionals must be considered.” Continued Watson.
Personal Protective Equipment is required for funeral professionals to safely handle deceased in a safe and sanitary way. Gloves, masks, gowns are all part of the required protocols for routine practices and additional precautions for mortuary care. Community and Public Health depends on the safe and sanitary handling of deceased persons. Difficulty obtaining Personal Protective Equipment impacts funeral workers too and potentially impedes their ability to serve the needs of their communities.
“Although some provinces have designated death care professionals including funeral, crematorium and cemetery workers as essential, but others have not, we are calling on all governments to take the necessary actions to make funeral professionals an essential service and provide them with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment in order to allow them to continue to perform their duties. Our members are ready to continue serving their communities with the right government framework in place.” Concluded Watson.
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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
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PUBLICATION IMMÉDIATE
Les fournisseurs de services funéraires prêts à servir
Le 30 mars 2020, Ottawa (Ontario) – Le président de l’Association funéraire du Canada (ASFC), Brett Watson, a fait une annonce aujourd’hui au nom des professionnels des services funéraires du Canada.
« Nos membres, des professionnels de partout au Canada, font de leur mieux pour répondre aux besoins des collectivités où ils travaillent pendant cette pandémie. Nous voulons rassurer les Canadiens pour qu’ils sachent que nous continuons à soutenir les familles en deuil et à offrir à leurs êtres chers les funérailles empreintes de dignité auxquelles ils ont droit », a indiqué M. Watson.
Les recommandations faites par les gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux demandant à la population de travailler de la maison et de s’isoler volontairement ont un impact sur les fournisseurs de services funéraires, mais nos professionnels continuent de faire tout leur possible pour servir leurs collectivités. Les funérailles ont toujours lieu, mais avec des groupes restreints qui se limitent aux membres de la famille immédiate, auxquels nous demandons d’interagir de façon limitée avec les personnes endeuillées. Les limites imposées par le gouvernement provincial sur les rassemblements sont rigoureusement respectées, tout comme la règle de distanciation sociale. Tout contact physique est à proscrire tant que cette situation ne sera pas réglée.
« Malheureusement, au cours des dernières semaines, le Canada a enregistré les premiers décès dus à la COVID-19 dans différentes provinces. Les professionnels des services funéraires sont en première ligne pour s’occuper des personnes décédées du virus et, bien que nous soyons prêts à répondre aux besoins, il faut tenir compte de la santé et de la sécurité de nos professionnels », a poursuivi M. Watson.
Les professionnels des services funéraires doivent porter l’équipement de protection individuelle afin de manipuler en toute sécurité et de façon hygiénique les dépouilles des personnes décédées. Le port de gants, de masques, de sarraus fait partie des protocoles exigés pour les tâches habituelles, et des précautions supplémentaires doivent être prises pour la préparation des corps des défunts. La santé communautaire et publique dépend de la manipulation sécuritaire et hygiénique des personnes décédées. La difficulté d’obtenir de l’équipement de protection individuelle a aussi un impact sur les travailleurs des services funéraires et peut les empêcher de répondre aux besoins de leurs collectivités.
« Même si certaines provinces ont classifié comme essentiels les professionnels des services funéraires, incluant les opérateurs de crématoriums et les travailleurs de cimetière, nous demandons à tous les gouvernements de prendre les mesures nécessaires pour reconnaître que les professionnels des services funéraires font partie intégrante de nos infrastructures essentielles et de leur fournir l’équipement de protection individuelle nécessaire pour qu’ils puissent continuer à accomplir leurs tâches. Nos membres sont prêts à servir leurs collectivités moyennant un encadrement approprié de la part des gouvernements », observait M. Watson en conclusion.
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L’Association des services funéraires du Canada (ASFC) est l’association nationale qui représente les salons funéraires et les professionnels des services funéraires de partout au Canada.
Contact média :
Kyle Larkin, agent de liaison pour l’ASFC
Téléphone : 905-449-9077 Courriel : kyle@impactcanada.com
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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