Section 2:

Missouri DHSS admits it fails to investigate resident and family complaints in a timely manner.

The Missouri Elder Abuse and Neglect Hotline was set up to allow the public to report abuse and neglect to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

But in addition to failures during their planned, coordinated licensing inspections, Missouri DHSS often fails to investigate Missouri Elder Abuse and Neglect Hotline calls in a timely manner.

Pam Clark, a DHSS regional manager, admitted to the Post-Dispatch in 2003 that she and her staff often fail to quickly follow up on complaints from families and from nursing home residents. She blamed staff shortages.

But whether it's a failure to investigate reported violations promptly, or a failure to detect violations during investigations, evidence shows that Missouri DHSS is serving us poorly. The evidence shows Missouri DHSS isn't protecting seniors the way it should.