As we have learned over the past several months, COVID-19 knows no geographical boundaries. There are victims of this terrible virus in every pocket of the world, and it does not wait until its victims are in their hometown to strike. As we have seen on the news, large markets like New York City are inundated with remains from this virus, and it is making arrangements difficult for funeral homes like yours all over the United States and the world. One of the realities families are faced with is that it might not be logistically feasible to fly remains home prior to cremation. For funeral directors who have never been through this type of scenario, it can be daunting trying to find a firm you are comfortable with representing your firm. That is why National Mortuary Shipping would like to walk you through some information to help you understand what to do when faced with out-of-town cremation needs.
If they do not get help, families will start calling local funeral directors where the deceased is located on their own.
Families want answers fast, and when an unexpected tragedy, like a passing from COVID-19, enters their lives, they just want to get things moving so they feel like they are doing something to help. The problem is they do not know where to begin and can often end up making decisions that are not the best for themselves or the decedent because they were desperate. Many times, families assume that since they wish to have the deceased cremated prior to bringing them back home for a memorial service, they can work with a third-party crematorium close to the place of death. What families do not know is that they can still turn to their local funeral home to help with cremation needs out of town. Let them know that you are their resource and that you can help with all cremation arrangements. They will be glad to know that they can turn to you as a resource rather than a stranger they are meeting for the first time over the phone. This is part of the service that you deliver that makes you so valuable to the families you serve, and they will be grateful to know you are there to help!
NMS can work with you to be that resource.
Let the family know that all arrangements are going to be taken care of for the out-of-town cremation and then call us. We will make all the arrangements to ensure that everything is taken care of for you. Let us be your liaison, and we can make all the arrangements. This will allow you to focus on working with the family.
What arrangements will NMS make to help with direct cremation out of town?
NMS will start by taking care of all the paperwork that is needed to process the out-of-town cremation. We will get you any documents that need to be signed by you or the family and get them back to the right people to handle the process. We will handle transportation of the remains from the hospital or holding facility to the crematorium. We will then handle the shipping of the cremated remains back to your funeral home for the memorial service. The only things you will have to do are communicating with the family and addressing any paperwork we send over. This will allow you to maintain your reputation as a funeral home that provides total service, and the family you are serving can be assured that taking care of out-of-town cremation arrangements is simple and not something they need to be burdened with on their own.
This is a difficult time for all of us, but it is incredibly difficult for the families who are suffering through tragic deaths. Together we can provide the services they need in a simple, straightforward manner so they are not burdened with making tough arrangements and decisions on top of the grief they are feeling. If you run into an out-of-town direct cremation and need help making it happen, contact us and we can assist you.
Contact National Mortuary Shipping