Several community partners came together on Tuesday, Nov. 19 to begin coordinating a response to address elder abuse in the community. The EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Office of the Attorney General was awarded the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) Abuse in later Life Program grant to assist individuals and agencies in recognizing each other’s role in responding to abuse in later life. The kickoff aimed to help develop and enhance a coordinated community response that is victim-centered, promotes victim safety, and increases offender accountability.
Partners attending a Nov. 19 meeting to begin coordinating a response to address elder abuse in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians community are shown, left to right, including – Marsha Jackson, EBCI Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program; Sally Waters, EBCI Office of the Attorney General; Victoria Vicki Ybanez, executive director of Red Wind Consulting, Inc.; Lisa G. Furr, program manager of National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL); and Jessica Betty, EBCI Adult Protective Services. Not pictured – Neil Ferguson, Cherokee Indian Police Dept.; Alicia Case, EBCI Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program; Bonnie Claxton, EBCI Legal Assistance Office; and Justin Eason, EBCI Office of the Tribal Prosecutor. (EBCI PHHS photo)
Over the course of the day, front line professionals, supervisors, and agency decisions makers that work closely with the elderly population trained with the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) representatives, Victoria Ybanez and Lisa G. Furr. In the coming months, NCALL and the EBCI will be working together in their efforts to create a Coordinated Community Response to elder abuse and elder justice. Community partners included in the Memorandum of Understanding are the EBCI Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program, Office of the Prosecutor, Cherokee Indian Police Department, and Family Safety’s Adult Protective Services.
Ybanez, executive director of Red Wind Consulting, Inc., is Dine, Apache, and Mexican, and has been working to end violence against American Indian/Alaskan Native women for 34 years. In addition to her many works with Red Wind, she works with tribes to develop and strengthen their response to ending violence against Indigenous women that includes crisis and criminal justice responses. Furr, program manager of NCALL, provides nationwide leadership, assistance, and training on various topics related to abuse in later life. Her experience includes work with the Virginia Office of Attorney General programming initiatives including sexual assault kit testing, Lethality Assessment Program, and training and technical assistance with underserved populations.
– EBCI Public Health & Human Services release
