COVID-19 Update

March 19, 2019 -3:30 PM

Life has been impacted by the novel coronavirus COVID-19, and as life is impacted, so is death and grief. At Hughes Family Tribute Center, our belief has always been about Honoring, Helping, and Healing. Although COVID-19 has changed how that looks, it has only increased our determination to create avenues and alternatives to honor loved ones, help families, and promote healing. Here is some information you need to know about our response to the COVID-19.

APPOINTMENTS ONLY:

Effective as of March 19, 2020 at 12:00 PM, we are closing our offices to the general public and will be taking appointments only. This is to keep the families we serve as well as our personal families safe. By keeping it to appointments only, we have the ability to ensure that only one family comes in at a time. After each family, we will be sanitizing doors, tables, and other commonly touched items. We can also make all arrangements through telephone or email if you would prefer. However, if you or a family member are not feeling well or are sick (whether it is COVID-19 or not), you will be required to use email and telephone to make arrangements. We have a small staff and if our staff gets sick, we cannot serve your family or other families that need us during a very difficult and trying time.

ATTENDANCE RESTRICTIONS:

Effective as of March 16, 2020 we are limiting attendance to visitations and services to 50 attendees including the immediate family. Please do your best to make sure that no more than 50 people attend services. This is not our requirement, but the City of Dallas’s requirement that we must follow to the good of public health. We are trying to stay up to date on local cemeteries restrictions and policies during this time. We are offering a several options and alternatives for families while the nation faces COVID-19. Although these options are listed, these are not all the options. Please discuss your wants and needs with a funeral director; we can better assist you in choosing the best service or alternative for your loved one and family. Here are some of the options families can choose in light of COVID-19 and the attendance restrictions in Dallas, Texas:

•Do a visitation and funeral service with immediate family members now with the loved one’s body physically present, and when the COVID-19 pandemic passes, have a memorial service with extended family and friends.

       oCurrently we are offering families to have a Life Celebration service (complete with Life Celebration materials) with immediate families during the pandemic AND a free Life Celebration Memorial Service for extended family and friends to attend at a later date after the pandemic passes.

              This is only if families choose a Life Celebration Service package which differs from a standard funeral service.

•Choosing to do a Tribucast Livestreaming of the funeral service for extended family and friends to watch at home.

•Do a graveside service at a cemetery.

       oAttendance numbers depend upon the cemetery’s policies.

COMMUNICATION:

We will have multiple lines of communication that are available to our families. They are as follows:

•Telephone:

       oOur phone number is (214) 350-9951. Our phones are answered 24/7, day and night. Please do not hesitate to call us.

       oYou can also text this number to get in touch with a funeral director.

       oThis is the best method to get in touch with a director quickly.

•Email:

       oOur general email address is info@hughesftc.com. These email address goes out to all of our funeral directors. We are usually able to respond back during business hours (M-F from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Sat. from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; and Sun. 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM). If we do not respond back immediately, please give us 2 hours to respond back, we may be assisting other families.

       oIf you need to get in touch with a particular funeral director, please put their first name in the subject line with a general description of what you are needing.

       oIf you have a marker or headstone related question, please email markers@hughesftc.com for assistance.

•Website:

       oOur website is www.hughesftc.com.

       oWe have a “Live Chat” feature on our website. Please feel free to use it.

We also have a “Contact Us” page where you can place your information

and needs for a director to contact you back (https://www.hughesftc.com/contact-us).

       oIf you are interested in Pre-Arrangements (planning a funeral before a death occurs), we also have an online Pre-Arrangement Form that you can fill out (https://www.hughesftc.com/pre-arrangements).

       oWe have many different resources on our website from Grief Support, a Vital Statistics Form (for our paperwork needs and for the Death Certificate), an Urn Store, and information about what to do when a death occurs. All of these resources can be found at our website under the “Resources” tab.

•Social Media:

       oWe have a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HughesFTC/) where you can Direct Message (DM) us. We monitor our social media very frequently, even after business hours, but please give us time to respond back.

       oWe also have an Instagram account (HughesFTC) where you can also chat with us. As with Facebook, please give us time to respond back.

•Fax:

       oOur fax number is (214) 357-6824. Although it is an avenue of communication, it is not the best one, especially if we do not know you are sending a fax. This mode of communication is best if we know you are sending a fax through a phone call or email.

•Mail:

       oOur mailing address is 9700 Webb Chapel Rd., Dallas, Texas 75220.  

NON-PRESSING NEEDS:

There are various items like death certificates and headstones that families might need during the COVID-19 pandemic. While we will not do face-to-face meetings, we can still assist you and your family with these needs.

•For Death Certificates:

       oWe will call you when the death certificates come in. You do have the option for us to mail the death certificates to you for a charge. If you do not want them mailed to you, you can still come by to pick up the death certificates. Just please call prior to coming with your estimated time of arrival to make sure a funeral director can run the death certificates out to your car. Once you are in our parking lot, please call and a funeral director will bring the death certificates to you in your car.

•For Markers:

       oWe will conduct all marker inquiries and orders via email through markers@hughesftc.com. If you do not have an email, please call us, and we can try to work out an arrangement.

•Finding a Cemetery Space at Crown Hill Memorial Park:

       oAt this time, we will be emailing maps with the approximate location of your loved one. While we definitely know the exact location of your loved one, our maps only provide families with the Block, Section, and Lot—not the individual spaces. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot spare staff members to take families or friends out to Crown Hill Memorial Park to find the exact space. We do apologize for any inconvenience this brings to family and friends.

•For other non-pressing needs:

       oPlease call us or reach out to us to express your needs. Please do not come to our offices unless you are making arrangements for a funeral service. Once we know your needs, we can find ways to better assist you while keeping your health, our health, and the public’s health safe.

PRE-NEED ARRANGEMENTS:

We will still be available for pre-need arrangements. Pre-need arrangements can be done in person (by appointment only), by telephone, email, or through our website’s Pre-Need Arrangement page (www.hughesftc.com/pre-arrangements). A Family Service Counselor can also meet you at your home if you would prefer. However, if you or a family member are not feeling well or are sick (whether it is COVID-19 or not), you will be required to use email and telephone to make arrangements. If our staff gets sick, we cannot serve your family or other families.

UPDATES:

We will be updating our policies as the nature of this pandemic continues to change. We may change policies, procedures, rules, and regulations without warning or notice to families and/or the public. We will try to do our best job to update our website and social media platforms as our policies, procedures, rules, and regulations change. Please continue to monitor our website and social media platforms for updates from our business.

As we navigate this novel coronavirus COVID-19 together, we appreciate your cooperation and flexibility with our staff and business. We truly care about each of you and will continue to be here for you in your time of need. If you have questions or concerns about our response to COVID-19, please call or email. Take care and God bless!

March 17, 2020 - 9:00 AM

To the Families We Serve,

As schools, businesses, and community events are being impacted by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, we wanted to reassure families of our strategy and plan for future services and communication. As we are closely monitoring the situation in Dallas, North Texas, and the United States, we have decided as of now to continue services without restrictions. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has strongly discouraged, and the City of Dallas has banned, any gatherings of over 50 people. If you believe that a visitation or funeral service will be larger than 50 people, we can talk about safer alternatives. Although some churches might limit availability, we will do our best to accommodate the types of services you desire. At our facility, we will have restroom facilities for people to wash hands, and we are taking precautions by disinfecting common surfaces that people touch such as door knobs, register book stand, and pews regularly and after each service. We will also be keeping doors open to allow for better air circulation which is reported to help against the spread of COVID-19. If family members are home bound or uneasy about going out due to health concerns, we have the ability to live-stream services from any location. A private viewing can also be arranged prior to the service on live-stream. All correspondences can also be done over phone, email, or through our website, BUT we are still available to meet families in person at our office if they so desire.

We ask families to be courteous about a few things.

1. If you are ill or in a position where you were introduced to the coronavirus, please refrain from coming into our building. We want to keep others in your family healthy as well as our staff to continue to serve your family.

2. If you are at high risk for experiencing complications with the coronavirus, we ask that you attend remotely via livestreaming. We don’t want anyone to get sick if it can be prevented.

3. Please wash or disinfect hands frequently before and while you are at a funeral service.

4. Please cover any coughing or sneezing with an elbow.

5. Funerals are a time of lots of handshakes and hugs. Please use your best judgement. Please know that it is ok and acceptable to refrain from such gestures of condolences.

If you have any concerns or questions about our response to the coronavirus, please give us a call or email. God bless everyone and stay healthy! 

Sincerely, 

DeWayne & Stephanie Hughes