Why Meals on Wheels volunteers now must submit fingerprints for background checks - Gainesville Times

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Why Meals on Wheels volunteers now must submit fingerprints for background checks

Carolyn Layfield, a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, has her fingerprints taken during a background check at the Community Service Center in Gainesville on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Volunteers are subject to a new background check for "caregivers" passed by the state legislature in 2018. - photo by Austin Steele

06272019 MEALS 002.jpg — Carolyn Layfield, a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, has her fingerprints taken during a background check at the Community Service Center in Gainesville on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Volunteers are subject to a new background check for "caregivers" passed by the state legislature in 2018. - photo by Austin Steele

The law, which will take effect this October, aims to root out abuse of elderly and disabled individuals through the creation of a registry that catalogs criminal background checks on owners and employees of long-term care facilities.