The Ombudsman's Office has an Advisory Committee and a Medical Review Subcommittee to help the review and make decisions on behalf of our clients.
The role and purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide assistance to the Ombudsman in fulfilling our 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 is made up of 15 fifteen members appointed by the Governor of Minnesota. 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.
The Advisory Committee provides eyes and ears on what is happening in the community and advises the Ombudsman on ways to improve delivery of services and identify gaps in the delivery system.
The Advisory Committee also has a five member Medical Review Subcommittee. The Medical Review Subcommittee is responsible to review all of deaths and serious injuries in facilities and programs that serve our clients. This critical purpose is to assure that deaths and serious injuries of disabled persons are not caused by abuse or neglect.
These two committees provide important oversight and consultative functions. The members are unpaid and reimbursed only for travel expenses. 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.
