MARTINS FERRY — Ohio’s funeral workers are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and want to get vaccinated now like any other first responder or nurse who has direct contact with people infected with the virus.

Chase Milburn, a funeral director and embalmer with Campbell-Plumly-Milburn Funeral Home of Barnesville, said he has reached out to local and state legislators and Gov. Mike DeWine’s office about the issue, but no action has been taken to help the state’s 3,000 death care workers.

“We aren’t being included in the vaccine phases because their priority is the elderly and opening the schools, both of which I strongly agree with being priorities. However, I feel as though we should have been considered with first responders and healthcare workers so that we could continue working safely. We have contact with COVID-19 in the forms of deceased individuals, families we are meeting with, along with guests attending funerals,” Milburn said.

Milburn said fortunately, to date, neither he or his staff members have become ill with the virus; however, the chance is still there daily.

“We are going to work every day not knowing where we will be going next. With many funeral homes seeing an increase in the death rate, it’s hard for places that are having to work on a reduced staff,” he said.

“If one or multiple of our staff members were to be forced to quarantine at the same time, we would unfortunately have no way to continue operating during that time. Our state association, Ohio Funeral Directors Association, has formed mass fatality plans in case the worst case scenario happens where we are overrun with COVID deaths and/or funeral homes aren’t able to operate.”

Milburn said funeral homes have been told that they should be OK if they just keep using PPE, but it is often hard to find.

“We have been left searching for where we will find enough to work safely for the next month,” he said.

Milburn said he is concerned about taking the virus home where he has three children younger than 5 years old.

“I am taking every precaution before going home after work. Some funeral directors leave clothes outside, disinfect our vehicles, and even shower at work. It has added so much extra time to simple daily tasks we are doing,” he said.

Milburn said he is not sure why death care workers were left out of the initial vaccination stage.

“I hope it was merely an oversight and not an intentional omission. Our federal government and CDC have placed funeral service in the 1a phase, but Governor DeWine’s office has omitted us from the state’s vaccination plan,” Milburn said.

“We are only considered general population with our state therefore we can’t get the vaccine until it’s open to everyone. According to a press conference with Governor DeWine yesterday, January 28, 2021, a question was brought up regarding funeral service where he responded that he is looking into it. He made comments about embalmers and funeral directors, but to me, those two groups solely aren’t enough.

“Many funeral homes rely on unlicensed personnel to transfer loved ones into our care and to work funerals, but according to his interview (on Jan. 28) they won’t be considered. We have four people working at our funeral home over 65, three unlicensed funeral assistants and my dad who owns the funeral home. They will all eventually get the vaccine if they choose to based on their age, but if they have to wait three weeks to get it, it could be too late.”

Milburn said the goal at his funeral home is to continue serving families like it has for the past 98 years.

“We love what we do and we will continue to do it with or without the vaccine, but we shouldn’t have to try to stay safe without the vaccine. I will continue bringing awareness until all 3,000 of my fellow funeral directors and embalmers and their staff are taken care of and considered for the vaccine,” he said.

Jay Foster, funeral director with J.E. Foster Funeral Homes & Crematory of Toronto and Smithfield, also believes death care workers should be given the option of receiving the vaccine now.

“We have been considered an ‘essential’ business since the beginning of the pandemic and our doors have remained open. We have been called to the same hospitals, hospice centers, long-term care facilities and into the homes of those who have died under hospice care. We are made aware if the death has been attributed to COVID-19. The unknowns for us are whether or not any other family members have tested positive or should be quarantining due to an exposure,” Foster said.

Foster noted those in funeral care do not want to take away vaccine from other groups, but just to be considered a priority group.

“We want for our industry what everyone else wants — and that’s a return to some form of normalcy. Being placed on a priority list for the vaccine during the early phases would help mitigate the spread of this deadly virus,” Foster said. “Hopefully sooner rather than later everyone who wants to receive the vaccine will have a chance and we can reopen our communities, cities, counties, our state and our nation safely. In the meantime we will continue to be there for the families we serve in their time of need.”

In neighboring West Virginia, some death care workers have already started receiving the vaccine, said Howard Gamble, administrator of the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

“Not all have been vaccinated. We did collect information for the state to get them scheduled appointments. Some of our facilities have staff that were vaccinated, either due to age or other situations,” Gamble said. “However, as with all other groups — city/county employees, shelters, etc — we need vaccine to get these groups done. It is a challenge and is a group that needs to be vaccinated.”