The U.S. Department of Justice will launch 10 regional elder justice task forces across the country, saying their priority will be the safety, protection and care of senior citizens.

U.S. District Court’s Western District of Kentucky was chosen for one of the task forces and is setting it up, said Bill Campbell, an assistant U.S. attorney for the district. These task forces will bring together federal, state and local prosecutors, law enforcement and agencies that provide services to the elderly to coordinate and enhance efforts to pursue nursing homes that provide grossly substandard care to their residents. 

“It is definitely something that should get a priority in focus. I personally have worked on several cases concerning nursing homes’ quality of care,” Campbell said. “What we’re wanting to do is to make sure the community is aware that this is a high priority for us, to use law enforcement where it is appropriate and to educate the public.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Kentucky Attorney General’s Office hope to accomplish three things while setting up the task force, Campbell said. First is to hold periodic meetings with law enforcement and governmental providers to streamline the process of getting information to the right agencies. 

Community outreach is the second step, and task force members will attend community events to get the word out and be available to hear public comments. The final step is working with the Medicaid and Medicare programs and making sure any failure to provide care is referred to law enforcement.

“This is a great opportunity for our office to continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to address these issues,” said Michelle Rudovich, assistant director of the Office of Medicaid, Fraud and Abuse in the state attorney general’s office.

Warren County Attorney Amy Milliken said she has worked with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services many times to make sure people are safe. The task force is a great idea to continue those efforts, she said.

“It really is a good idea to have this task force to bring everyone to the table and discuss our cases because we all do different things. We all have different jobs, and we all can discuss how to best protect the person,” Milliken said.

Bowling Green Police Department spokesman Officer Ronnie Ward said mistreatment of the elderly isn’t limited to physical abuse. It also can be financial abuse, and the department already investigates any complaints it receives, he said. He said the task force could be a good idea because it will bring awareness to the community.

“When more attention is focused on a problem, it’s always good for people to be aware and to understand what constitutes a crime,” Ward said.

Ward said calls can be made anonymously to a 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-800-752-6200 to report suspected elder abuse.

— For more information about the Justice Department’s elder justice initiative, visit justice.gov/elderjustice.

— Follow faith/general assignments reporter Simone C. Payne on Twitter@_SimonePayne or visit bgdailynews.com.