Alberta Funeral Service Association Update
Please allow me to start this update by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the entire board of directors and our administration team with ManageWise. I am so proud of this association and how its members band together and find ways to support one another through these dark days. We have heard reports of competitors coming together to make plans to keep death care in their communities viable. There are many of you who have reached out to the association offering to assist in any way possible with planning, committee work or just to give encouragement and advice to the board. We are truly humbled and blessed to have each one of you as part of this team of dedicated funeral professionals.
The association has and continues to act as an advocate for all funeral homes in Alberta through this pandemic. The COVID-19 Pandemic Committee has been engaged with their MLA’s and MP’s since the beginning of this pandemic and they have taken us under their wings and have proven to be valuable assets for us in establishing contact with the Governments of Alberta and Canada. We have established clear lines of communication with our partners in Alberta Health Services, Justice and Solicitor General, Alberta Funeral Service Regulatory Board, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Environment Public Health.
Funeral homes are considered essential services in Alberta. This means that staff of the funeral home are exempt from the 15 person gathering. This has also been clearly communicated to AFSA by the Health Ministers Office.
In the past weeks we have secured emergency PPE access through the JSG but advise funeral homes low on PPE to try and find it from our normal suppliers first. The JSG supply is strained already and it is meant for emergencies only. The bulletins that have been released by the OCME for access to PPE can be found on our website www.afsa.ca.
Our COVID-19 Pandemic Committee is actively in discussions with the assistant Deputy Minister of Health to clarify and establish regulations and restrictions. One important point to clarify is the size of a gathering restricted to 15 people and the 2 meter physical distancing is a REGULATION and you can be fined for breaking those REGULATIONS.
Everything else listed on the governments website is a GUIDELINE meant to be used to help keep ourselves and communities safe. This information is directly from the Health Ministers office.
Many funeral homes have adopted policies that they will not embalm COVID-19 cases. Each funeral home is free to determine their own policies as long as they are following the regulations. The AFSRB regulations currently allows for embalming of COVID-19 cases. Please consult with your staff about your levels of confidence and consider the facts about embalming COVID-19 deaths when establishing your policies.
To learn more about the facts and recommended guidelines for safely embalming COVID-19 cases, please refer to the messages the AFSRB has released.
We are currently working to have clearer communication to funeral homes from hospitals about COVID-19 deaths. It has come to our attention that COVID-19 bodies will not be clearly labeled as COVID-19 cases. AHS has said that we are to exercise universal precautions with all cases and we do not need to worry about labels for COVID-19 cases. We do not find this to be acceptable and we are pressuring AHS to change that policy. We understand the challenges COVID-19 cases bring to a funeral home and the association is actively pursuing this issue.
Our COVID-19 Pandemic Committee has and continues to take meetings with AHS Emergency Management Officers, JSG and OCME directors, AHS Ministers staff, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Community Social Services, Alberta Funeral Services Regulatory Board, Funeral Service Association of Canada and a presidents meeting for all funeral associations in Canada. We endeavor to have our collective voice heard by the policy makers throughout this pandemic and in all things advocate for you and your funeral home.
Thank you,
Tyler Weber
President