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'Last responders' brace for impact of coronavirus pandemic

"Any infectious disease that someone passes from, we have to deal with it," said Buryl Garnett-Sumpter, an independent mortician.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — As first responders in North Carolina have continued to tackle growing coronavirus cases, another group has also begun bracing for the impact.

The folks in the afterlife care industry, who make up part of the group often called the last responders, they have started running out of supplies to care for the bodies of loved ones when first responders have given it all their best.

"We want people to recognize the last responders," said Buryl Garnett-Sumpter of Greensboro.

Garnett- Sumpter is an independent mortician who works for several funeral homes and is licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. After more than 45 years of working in the After Care Life industry, Garnett-Sumpter said people under-appreciate his profession.

"They are always recognizing the first responders but the last responders go through much of the same things that the first responders do which are the morticians, the embalmers, the funeral directors, the medical examiners, and the coroners," said Garnett-Sumpter.

Having seen what happened in places like China and the current situation in Italy, Spain as well as across the United States, in cities like New York, they too are preparing.

"I'm fortunate that I have one of these and it is a respirator with a charcoal filter and I have additional filters," said Garnett-Sumpter, holding up a respirator mask. 

A mask like that costs him more than $100 which he says protects better than regular masks and comes in handy when funeral homes run out off their supply of masks. He says many PPE suppliers are only accepting bulk orders from hospitals. He says while the spotlight is on first responders rightfully trying to save lives people in his line of work also need help and encouragement in dealing with the event of death.

"Any infectious disease that someone passes from, we have to deal with it, when Ebola hit, AIDS, Meningitis, Tuberculosis, you name it, we have to do all of it and a lot of people don't understand that," he said.

He's asked that you check on your local funeral homes and see if you can help with any of their needs.

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