Burgess speaks out against elder abuse

CANASTOTA, N.Y. » Thomas Burgess, the pastor of Hope Christian Fellowship in Canastota and a case supervisor with Onondaga County Adult Protective Services, continues to speak out on abuse of vulnerable adults to various gatherings.

On Aug. 21 and Sept. 5, Burgess will be a trainer at elder abuse trainings to be held at Noble Health Services in Syracuse and federally funded by an Abuse in Later Life Grant.

This grant with Vera House Inc., Onondaga County’s domestic and sexual violence agency, as the lead organization makes possible collaborative training with Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and Onondaga County APS. The training addresses elder abuse in several forms and enhances community response to elder abuse in several ways, including direct training with local law enforcement, prosecutors and judges, and cross-training to those who offer services to victims. So far, 205 lawenforcement officers and 214 victim service providers have been trained through this grant, which has contributed to an increase in local voluntary reporting of suspected adult abuse.

On Aug. 22, Burgess presents an overview of APS to the annual statewide Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team ( E-MDT) Conference, co-hosted by the Upstate Elder Abuse Center at Lifespan and the New York City Elder Abuse Center. The conference, which will be held at the RIT Inn and Conference Center in Henrietta, will bring together all New York State E-MDTs to enhance knowledge on topics related to financial exploitation of older adults. Then Burgess will be a panelist at the 25th annual New York State Adult Abuse Training Institute, which will be held Sept. 26 and 27 at the Albany Marriott Hotel in Albany.

He will reprise the training he did at the New York Public Welfare Association Summer Conference, held in July at the Saratoga Hilton Hotel in Saratoga, about the newly-developed Financial Exploitation Investigation Suite of Tools (FEIST) and Onondaga County’s experience to date as one of the pilot counties. Also on the panel will be: Alan Lawitz, Esq., director, Bureau of Adult Services, New York State Office of Children and Family Services; and forensic accountant Karen Webber, CPA, CFE, Webber CPA, LLC. A life-long Central New Yorker,

Burgess is a 1971 graduate of Canastota High School. He then attended Syracuse University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communications and Education, and subsequently completed post-graduate work at LeMoyne College to earn certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

An educator in elementary, secondary and adult education for more than two decades prior to working for Onondaga County, he now frequently presents to various agencies and community groups. He is a past recipient of an Onondaga County Volunteer Award for his work with abused children and youth and a National Adult Protective Services Association Award for his work on elder justice.

Burgess also celebrates 41 years as an ordained minister this month.

Thomas Burgess