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2018 SESSION

18102050D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 543
Offered March 5, 2018
Commending the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center.
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Patrons-- Mullin and Price; Senator: Mason
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WHEREAS, the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center, an innovative, collaborative initiative to identify and investigate cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of older residents of the Virginia Peninsula, opened on November 1, 2017; and

WHEREAS, the population of the Virginia Peninsula is rapidly aging, with more than 16 percent of the residents of Williamsburg over the age of 65; in 2016, the Adult Protective Services Division of the Virginia Department of Social Services received more than 23,000 reports of elder abuse, including almost 500 reports in the Williamsburg area; and

WHEREAS, financial exploitation and fraud are the most common forms of elder abuse, costing older and vulnerable Virginians more than $28.2 million in 2015; as many instances of elder abuse are not reported, some estimates place the figure closer to $1 billion; and

WHEREAS, in addition to financial exploitation, elder abuse can take the form of physical or psychological trauma, and the multidisciplinary team of experts at the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center is equipped with the training and techniques to assess reports of elder abuse and provide victims with the compassion and care they need; and

WHEREAS, the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center works with experts from the Adult Protective Services Division and law-enforcement officers, Commonwealth’s Attorneys, victim-witness advocates, mental health agencies, domestic violence centers, The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors, Peninsula Agency on Aging, geriatric services, neuropsychologists, and forensic nursing and forensic accounting professionals to prepare for every form of abuse; and

WHEREAS, developed by York-Poquoson Social Services and the Riverside Health System, the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center will investigate elder abuse in the Counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, and York, and the Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg; and

WHEREAS, as a branch of the Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health, the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center will accept case referrals from team members from each participating locality and meet twice-monthly at Riverside Regional Medical Center; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center for its work to investigate concerns about elder abuse on the Virginia Peninsula; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Peninsula Elder Abuse Forensic Center as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the center’s important mission to support and safeguard older Virginians.