43-7-57 - Duties of office. - Mississippi Statutes

§ 43-7-57. Duties of office.
 

The duties of the Office of the State Long-term Care Facilities Ombudsman, as created under Section 43-7-53, shall be: 
 

(a) The establishment of a procedure to receive, investigate and resolve complaints filed by residents or sponsors or organizations or long-term care facilities on behalf of residents of long-term care facilities relating to the health, safety, welfare and rights of such residents; 

(b) The monitoring of the development and implementation of federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies with respect to long-term care facilities; 

(c) The establishment of a training program for both the state and community ombudsmen; 

(d) To provide public forums, including the holding of public hearings, sponsorships of conferences and workshops, and the holding of other meetings to seek information concerning the needs and problems of residents in long-term care facilities; 

(e) The establishment and maintenance of a statewide uniform reporting system to collect and analyze data relating to complaints and conditions in long-term care facilities for the purpose of identifying and resolving significant problems faced by residents as a group; 

(f) The submission of an annual report to the State Department of Health, which shall include statistical information about the state and community long-term care facilities ombudsman programs, shall identify systemic problems in long-term care facilities that cannot be adequately addressed by state and local agencies, and shall include recommendations for legislative or executive action to alleviate any systemic problems; 

(g) The testing and certification of ombudsmen; 

(h) The development of an ongoing program of publicizing programs designated by the Office of the State Long-term Care Facilities Ombudsman and by the community long-term care facilities ombudsman through contact with the media and civic organizations; 

(i) The development of policies and regulations related to the use of volunteers in the program, and to assure that the responsibility and authority of volunteers shall be restricted to activities which do not involve access to patient or facility records; and 

(j) Other duties as mandated by the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended. 
 

Sources: Laws,  1988, ch. 592, § 4, eff from and after July 1, 1988.