SECTIONS 5500 - California Statutes

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE

SECTION 5500

5500. As used in this chapter:
(a) "Advocacy" means those activities undertaken on behalf of
persons who are receiving or have received mental health services to
protect their rights or to secure or upgrade treatment or other
services to which they are entitled.
(b) "Mental health client" or "client" means any person who is
receiving or has received services from a mental health facility,
service or program and who has personally or through a guardian ad
litem, entered into an agreement with a county patients' rights
advocate for the provision of advocacy services.
(c) "Mental health facilities, services, or programs" means any
publicly operated or supported mental health facility or program; any
private facility or program licensed or operated for health purposes
providing services to mentally disordered persons; and publicly
supported agencies providing other than mental health services to
mentally disordered clients.
(d) "Independent of providers of service" means that the advocate
has no direct or indirect clinical or administrative responsibility
for any recipient of mental health services in any mental health
facility, program, or service for which he or she performs advocacy
activities.
(e) "County patients' rights advocate" means any advocate
appointed, or whose services are contracted for, by a local mental
health director.