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Health council to coordinate senior scam outreach after member reports loss
Summary
During public comment a community member described being victimized by a scam and urged the Health Council to lead public education; council members asked staff to coordinate with the senior center, police victim assistance and existing statewide programs.
A meeting attendee told the Los Alamos County Health Council that she had recently lost money in a scam and asked the council to help the community respond.
“I was the victim of a scam 2 days ago, and it was very it was not pretty,” the commenter said during the public‑comment period. The speaker urged the council to provide information and outreach focused on older adults, saying local and state law‑enforcement contacts have noticed a rise in targeted scams and that victims are often women over age 50 living alone.
Council and staff members agreed to coordinate with existing efforts rather than build a new program from scratch. Social Services Manager Jessica Strong asked staff to work with Jackie Groninger and the senior center and to loop in Jordan (case coordination specialist) and the police department’s victim assistant to create a countywide public information effort. “Let’s definitely collaborate with what Jackie’s doing and whatever else is going on,” Strong said.
Council members noted the state attorney general and local police already run senior‑focused scam programs; the group agreed a short news article and printed/QR resources tied to county senior services would be practical first steps. Staff and members volunteered to connect existing materials, ask the senior center to draft an explanatory piece, and explore a web‑based directory or QR business‑card resource that can be updated more quickly than printed pamphlets.
Why it matters: Council members said scam prevention is a public‑health and safety issue for older residents and people living alone. The Health Council directed staff to coordinate existing programs and produce targeted outreach materials rather than create a new standalone program.
