COVID-19 Member Resources

Selected is committed to helping our members through these challenging times. This resource page continues to grow as we collect materials from organizations and members share samples of materials they are using in their communities.

Don't forget to post your questions on The Forum and to share supply needs and surpluses, tips and ideas in the Member Sharing Center.

Categories of Information on this Page:

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Updates
• Small Business Relief & COVID-19 Impact
• Operations
• Public Health, Prevention and Safety
• Embalming & Preparation Guidelines
• Public Health & Safety Marketing Tools
• Risk Management
• Communications/Media
• Inspiration, Wellness & Self-Care During Crisis
• Resources to Share with Families
• Recorded Webinars and Podcasts
• Marketing

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Updates

Note: We will continue to add updates here on PPE sources that are shared through various channels. We cannot guarantee sources and availability but are simply passing on information provided.

• All N95s in existing stock and those being manufactured now are sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA and they allocate supplies to each state's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). To place a request for N95s, you'll need to contact your state's EOC. Click here to access the EOC for your state.
• PPE Dos and Don'ts (Courtesy of APIC)
• SEAC, a scuba supply vendor, offers alternative full face masks. Click here for details.
• Also visit our Member Share Center for more PPE info.
• PPE Availability Update from Kelco Kelco Supply shared current status (4/9) of PPE shipment and availability.
• Body Bags Supply Update (Courtesy of Kelco Supply)

Small Business Relief & COVID-19 Impact

• Paycheck Protection Program Extension Passed -New Date is August 8 (Courtesy of CNN)
• SBA Debt Relief (Courtesy of Live Oak Bank)
• How to Get Your PPP Loan Forgiven (Courtesy of Live Oak Bank)
• Disaster Assistance Loans Information (Small Business Administration)
• Disaster Assistance Loan Applications (Small Business Administration)
• A message and resources from Live Oak Bank
• Paycheck Protection Loans & Economic Injury Disaster Loans (Courtesy of Live Oak Bank)
• What are the affects of COVID-19 on Insurance Assignments? (Courtesy of C&J Financial)
• SBA Disaster Assistance Loan Programs for Businesses Impacted by COVID-19
• Small Business Owner's Guide to the CARES Act
• CARES Act Summary (Courtesy of the National Association of Gov't Guaranteed Lenders)
• COVID-19 Flow Chart of Small Business Relief Action
• Coronavirus Emergency Loans Small Business Guide & Checklist (Courtesy of the US Chamber of Commerce)
• COVID-19-CJ-Financial.pdf
• Borrowers Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Fact Sheet & Application
• Paycheck Protection Program Sign Up (Courtesy of Live Oak Bank)
• COVID-19 Small Business Relief Resources by State
• CARES Act Webinar & Resources (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Confusion over the PPP Program? (Courtesy of CNBC)
• Senate Passes $484 Billion Small Business Relief (Courtesy of CNBC News)
• Federated Insurance Companies Announce COVID-19 Client Relief Credit
• Paycheck Protection Program Loans FAQs (Courtesy of SBA)
• Paycheck Protection Program Estimation Worksheet (Courtesy of SBA)
• Cash Flow Solutions (Courtesy of CSSI)
• Predictions: for Our Country and Profession from COVID-19 (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing & American Funeral Director)

Operations

• Annual Remembrances Service During Social Distancing eBook (Courtesy of Funeral Innovations) Funeral Innovations recently released an eBook highlighting ways to hold annual remembrance services while social distancing. Remembrance services during a pandemic may need to look a little different. Start planning now to keep this valuable tradition going this winter in your community.
• Five Ways to Promote Reopening as Social Distancing Eases (Courtesy of Funeral Innovations)
• WHITE PAPER: State of American Business & COVID 19 — Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions Outlines the six areas most challenging to business today, interviews with top CEOs and the innovative solutions they are putting into place. (Courtesy of Meridith Elliott Powell)
• Group 1 Virtual Roundtable Recording — Group 1 members participated to review their COVID-19 experiences. Matthew Fiorillo of Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation of White Plains, NY shared his firm's story. Patrick Kearns of Leo F. Kearns Funeral Home in Richmond Hill, NY also contributed to the discussion. Fellow Selected members asked question and shared their unique perspectives on the pandemic plus covered some additional topics.

Public Health, Prevention and Safety

• NFDA Calls for Funeral Professional Volunteers
• Corona Virus Postmortem Guidelines (Courtesy of the CDC)
• COVID-19 and Funeral Guidelines (Courtesy of the CDC)
• COVID-19: Firsthand Account from a Funeral Director — Interview with Corey Gaffney (Courtesy of Connecting Directors)
• How Funeral Directors are Preparing for Coronavirus
• OSHA guidance for those working in the funeral profession to ensure worker safety when handling human remains
• OSHA guidance for personal protective equipment to ensure worker safety when handling human remains
• Coronavirus — Interim Guidance for Business and Employers (Courtesy of CDC)
• How to Maintain Operations During a Pandemic (Courtesy of OSHA)
• Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist (Courtesy of CDC)
• Pandemic Influenza Continuity of Operations (Courtesy of FEMA)
• Coronavirus Resources (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Labor)
• CDC Recommends Livestreaming Funerals (Courtesy of BBC)
• Mortuary Employees Declared Critical Infrastructure Workers (Courtesy of DHS & CISA)
• Valuable Resources and Guidelines on Public Health, Safety and Repatriation (Courtesy of Homeland International)
• What does US-Canada Border Closing Mean? (Courtesy of The Buchanan Group | Private Label)
• Privacy Rules for Staff Disclosing COVID-19 (Courtesy of the Department of Health and Human Services)
• Eagles Wings Air provides updates on flight and service status
• Knowledge Reduces Risk Guide & Course (Courtesy of Jennifer Conrad)
• Preserving Options: Learning from the Tradition of Spring Burials (Courtesy of the National Concrete Burial Vault Association)
• Buchanan Group Teams with Baker Lab at University of Washington to Speed Development of COVID-19 Vaccine

Embalming & Preparation Guidelines

• Embalming Guidelines for Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Cases (Courtesy of ICCFA)
• Guidelines on How to Embalm with Coronavirus (Courtesy of Professional Embalmers)
• Health & Safety Guidelines for COVID-19 Post Mortem Care (Courtesy of Dodge Company)

Public Health & Safety Marketing Tools

• COVID-19 Sample Press Release (Courtesy of Busch Funeral Homes)
• COVID-19 Sample Press Release (Courtesy of Milner & Orr Funeral Home)
• COVID-19 Sample Press Release (Courtesy of Gunderson Funeral Home)

Risk Management

• COVID-19 Risk Management Procedures Sample (Courtesy of Lady's Funeral Home)
• COVID-19 Risk Management Procedures Sample (Courtesy of Glenn Funeral Home & Crematory)
• COVID-19 Risk Management Procedures Sample (Courtesy of Gunderson Funeral Home)
• The Corona Virus and Your Job (Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal)
• In collaboration with Enquiron, Federated Employment Practices Network is providing these three valuable documents designed to help provide information to organizations facing challenging employment issues during these uncertain times.
  • Employer FAQ Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Families First Coronavirus Response Act
  • Important Rules for Employers to Know in the Wake of COVID-19
• Employee Temperature-taking Policy (Courtesy of Federated Insurance Company)
• HR Tip of the Month: Dealing with Employees Returning from Travel & COVID-19 Precautions (Courtesy of Federated Insurance Company)
• COVID Restriction Disclosure Form (Courtesy of Bonney-Watson)
• COVID-19 Notice & Waiver Template

Communications/Media

• Hearts Join Art at Trimble Pointe Press Release
• Interview with Selected Executive Director, Rob Paterkiewicz (Courtesy of Funeral Service Insider)
• Livestreaming Request and Release Form (Word document)
  
• Webcasting Licenses & Compliance (Courtesy of NFDA)
• Emergency Obituary Posting and Online Funeral Video Services (Courtesy of Legacy.com)
• Passare is offering their Collaboration Center free of charge to all funeral directors. Visit their website for details and click here to request a demo.
• ASD Expands Remote Capabilities Support During Pandemic
• Coronavirus Media Interview Talking Points for Funeral Homes (Courtesy of Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center for Loss and Life Transition)
• The Why of Funerals (Courtesy of Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center for Loss and Life Transition)
  Dr. Wolfelt has granted permission to Selected members to use this video on their website or promotion.
• Processing Grief During a Pandemic: When Nothing is Normal (Courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine)
• Advertising During a Pandemic? (Courtesy of MJK Marketing)
• SRS Unveils New, Proprietary E-Signature Product (Courtesy of SRS Computing)
• SRS Announces Release of V-9 Online-Press Release (Courtesy of SRS Computing)
• Alternate Service Offerings Booklet (Courtesy of Funeral Innovations)
• Inside a NY Funeral Home During the Coronavirus Crisis (Courtesy of Ballard Durand Funeral Home)
• Community Participation Makes Your Firm More Sustainable (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing)
• Our Response to COVID-19 (Courtesy of French Funerals & Cremations )
• Funeral Homes Adapt to COVID-19 Deaths (Courtesy of WBUR.org news)
• Directors Making a Difference During the Pandemic (Courtesy of NCR online)
• Coronavirus Changes Funerals and How Families Grieve (Courtesy of Patriot Ledger)
• E-Commerce Amid Uncertain Times (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing)

Inspiration, Wellness & Self-Care During Crisis

• How is isolation affecting your employees during COVID-19? (Courtesy of Ragan Wellness)
• Acknowledging and Dealing with Burnout (Courtesy of Davana Pilczuk)
• How COVID-19 is Making Us Better Funeral Professionals (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Simple Self-Care Practices to Balance Your Work and Life (Courtesy of Chelsea Hanson)
• Grief and social distancing: How Indiana funeral homes are helping families seek closure. An article and interview with Dr. Alan Wolfelt (Courtesy of IndyStar)
• An interesting historical review of the 1918 flu pandemic and how it affected the funeral profession. (Courtesy of Todd Van Beck)
• Emotional Intelligence: A Pandemic and Isolation Coping Tool (Courtesy of Chicago Executive Coaching)
• COVID-19 Self-Isolating Tips
• COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring Tips
• A Little Levity in the Time of Crisis (Courtesy of Ron Culberson):
  Funny/Interesting Videos
  Articles and Audio Interviews
  Recommended Reading List
  Blog
• Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 (Courtesy of Dr. William Hoy)
• The Drive-In Funeral: Celebrating a Life in an Era of Social Distancing (Courtesy of Dan Madden | Stark Memorial)
• TED Connects: Community and Hope — TED Talks are always a great resource for information. Check out this episode of TED Connects, featuring Chris Anderson, head of TED, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as they discuss Community & Hope.
• Be the Calm in the Storm: Inspirational Video (Courtesy of Marguerite Ham)
• Video to Inspire Positivity Within a Community (Courtesy of Glenn Funeral Home)
• Combat Coronavirus Anxiety (Courtesy of Muse.com)
• 10 Ways to Cultivate Kindness While Social Distancing (Courtesy of Linda Cohen Consulting)

Courtesy of Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center of Loss and Life Transition:

• Walking the Wilderness Together
• Touch Starvation: How to Make up for the Loss of Touch
• The Loss of Human Touch During Pandemic
• Five Pillars of Self-Care
• Tell Me How to Grieve
• Nurturing Hope in Difficult Times
• When One Funeral Is Not Enough
• The Seesaw of Resilience and Vulnerability
• Funeral Directors, We Need You! |The Five Pillars of Basic Self-Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• How to Reframe the Difficult COVID-19 Lockdown Period as an Opportunity

Courtesy of Davana Pilczuk, PhD — The Human Performance Group LLC:

• How to Help Someone through a Layoff
• Humorous Perils of Working from Home
• Employees Need Stress Help Now
• Respect is key to employees feeling valued
• 5 foods that can boost your brain power
• Learn your team's love languages

Resources to Share with Families

• Hugs from Home — Selected member, Milner & Orr has created a new program called Hugs from Home. It is a new service they are implementing that will give those not attending a funeral service the chance to be able to share a token of love and support. Click here to see the form they offer on their website. The Hugs from Home note card is then attached to a white balloon in the funeral home. These balloons will fill the chapel with hugs for the families. They will be able to read these heartfelt messages and hopefully know that many others are there with them in spirit.
• Funerals Pose Challenges in Time of Social Distancing (Courtesy of Dr. Bill Hoy and BaptistStandard.com)
• Sample member newsletter to families (Courtesy of O'Connor Mortuary)
• Legacy Touch Production Schedule & Special Free Gift Offer
• Ten Ideas Funeral Directors Can Share with Families During COVID-19 (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing)
• Resource for Families Grieving a Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Courtesy of Funeral Service Foundation)
• The Impact of Coronavirus on the Grieving Process (Courtesy of Today.com)

Courtesy of Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center of Loss and Life Transition:

• Pandemic of Grief
• Dealing with Families During Pandemic
• How to Talk to Children about Coronavirus Pandemic
• Coronavirus and the Six Needs of Mourning
• Funerals in the Time of Coronavirus: Thoughts for Families
• Help and Healing: Compassionate Advice Exploring the Natural Complications of the "WHYs" of Funerals During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Grieving a Coronavirus Death: Help for Special Circumstances
• Help and Healing: Compassionate Advice
• Condolences in the Time of COVID-19: Guidance for Conveying Your Love and Support
• Ten Freedoms for Ceremonies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recorded Webinars and Podcasts

• Finding the New Normal: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Practical Ways to Serve Families During COVID-19 | Webinar Slides (Courtesy of CANA)
• Tukios Tips: Save Time, Generate Revenue with Automated Tribute Videos (Courtesy of Tukios)
• 18 Ways to Adapt Your Marketing During COVID-19 (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing)
• Working Remotely with Your Families Using Passare's Collaboration Center (Courtesy of Passare)
• Persevering Through Uncertain Times (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Tips for Funeral Directors: Stress Management (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Managing Your Team Through COVID-19 (Courtesy of Davana Pilczuk | The Human Performance Group LLC)
• All Things Technology: Virtual "Un"Conference Recording (Courtesy of Connecting Directors)
  Selected Preferred Partners, Tukios and RingRing Marketing share insights on all things technology during this recorded webinar.
• All Things Financial: Virtual "Un"Conference Recording (Courtesy of Connecting Directors)
  Selected Preferred Partners, Live Oak Bank, C&J Financial and Johnson Consulting Group, share insights on all things financial during this recorded webinar.
• How to Collect Online Signatures for Preneed Contracts (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Leading Your Remote Work Team Through A Crisis | Strategies To Stay Motivated, Connected, and Productive (Courtesy of Meridith Elliott Powell)
• Overnight the American Way of Death Has Moved Online (Courtesy of Everdays)
• Real-World Solutions to Right-Now Problems (Courtesy of Funeral Innovations & Johnson Consulting Group)
• CARES Act Webinar & Resources (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Grow Your Preneed Sales with Online Group Presentations (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Elevating Funeral Service Podcast (Courtesy of Aftercare.com & RingRing Marketing)
• COVID-19 Pandemic & Financial Markets Webinar (Courtesy of Roosevelt Investments)
• Families Are Planning Funerals Online without You: Here's How to Get Back into the Conversation (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• FD Talks: Conversations with Funeral Directors (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
  This recording features Selected members, Anne Geib of Geib Funeral Homes & Crematory and Andrea Orr of Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, on how they are serving families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• How to Handle the Deceased (Part 1) Webinar Recording (Courtesy of ICCFA)
• The Compromised Immune System of Funeral Service (Courtesy of McKee Wallwork + Co)
• FD Talks Episode 1| Surviving Stress: Caring for Yourself While You Care for Families (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• CARES Act Update: What You Need to Know About Applying for Stimulus Funds (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Weathering the Perfect Storm | Webinar Slides (Courtesy of Funeral Director's Life)
• Five Mistake That Can Tie Up Your Cash Flow Webinar Recording | Webinar Slides (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Managing Change: Laying the Groundwork, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! | Webinar Slides (Courtesy of Marguerite Ham)
• How to Use Video to Bring Your Story to Life | Webinar Slides (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• Forgiveness and the Future: SBA Loans and the Opportunity to Thrive (Courtesy of Johnson Consulting Group)

Marketing

• Free COVID-19 Marketing Resources for Funeral Homes & Remote Preneed Sales Process (Courtesy of Precoa)
• Webinar: 18 Ways to Adapt Your Marketing During COVID-19 (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing)
• FrontRunner Offers Free Facebook Setup and Instruction about using Facebook Live
• Custom Public Service Message: TV Spots Offer (Courtesy of MKJ Marketing)
• Funeral Innovations created a free, automated text notification system for Facebook Live events, future services, or any other events or messages you need to send. Click here to schedule a consultation.
• Funeral Directors Life Offers New Online Signatures Option for Preneed Contracts at No Charge
• Parting Pro Offers Free Strategy Sessions to Turn Your Business Digital
• Send Hugs | Private Video Memories (Courtesy of Tukios)
• Guest RSVP Feature to the Book of Memories Press Release (Courtesy of FrontRunner Professional)