Ombudsman Advisory Committee.

Ombudsman

Services

Advisory Committee

The Ombudsman Advisory Committee is comprised of 15 members appointed by the Governor. Each member appointed is selected based on their expertise, knowledge and interest in the disabilities of mental illness, developmental disabilities, chemical dependency, and children with emotional disturbance. Members bring experience from differing points of view, from consumers to professionals and care providers. Geographic location is also a consideration for membership to insure representation state-wide.

The role and purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide assistance to the Ombudsman in fulfilling the Office's mandate "to promote the highest attainable standards of treatment, competence, efficiency and justice for persons receiving services for mental health, developmental disabilities, chemical dependency and emotional disturbance." The Advisory Committee provides eyes and ears on what is happening in the community, and advises the Ombudsman on opportunities to improve delivery of services and identify gaps in the delivery system.

The Advisory Committee also has a five member Medical Review Subcommittee charged with the review of deaths and serious injuries in facilities and programs that serve the Office's clients. This function is critical to assure that deaths of mental disabled persons are not caused by abuse or neglect. Via medical alerts, the information gleaned from reviews is shared to improve the service delivery system, and therefore the lives of the clients of the agency.

Both the Ombudsman Advisory Committee and the Medial Review Subcommittee are important functions that benefit the agency. The positions are unpaid and members are reimbursed only for travel expenses.

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External

	State of Minnesota Office of the Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
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