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If you or someone you know has a mental illness and you don't know where to turn, please call us at (614) 221-1441.
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Advocacy, Client Support, & Ombudsman
Ombudsman Client Satisfaction Form
Advocacy
We advocate for people with mental illness and their families in a variety of ways. We can assist callers who need help sorting through the maze of mental health services, both public and private. If appropriate, we will make a referral to the assessment program at Netcare Corporation, the agency that determines eligibility for community treatment teams, or other agencies such as Advocacy and Protective Services, or Ohio Legal Rights Service.
We also work with family members of persons with mental illness to help them understand confidentiality and its limits, and how to get emergency services in a crisis. We discuss problems involved when the client is refusing help. We encourage family members to seek help through support groups and educational programs. We also identify other community resources and provide literature on mental illness.
We may also call a mental health center to clarify information for a client or their family member, or refer them to the Client Rights Officer at the mental health agency if they wish to file a grievance. On occasion, we also advocate on behalf of persons with mental illness in the prison system, and arrange for intervention of a potential suicide.
Ombudsman
For
clients receiving services at ADAMH-funded agencies*, we offer the services
of an Ombudsman. The Ombudsman helps both mental health and alcohol/drug
clients who are having difficulties with the services they are receiving.
The Ombudsman can act as an advocate for clients in the following areas:
• Listening to concerns or complaints and helping to find a solution
• Supplying information about and referral to community resources
• Helping clients "get through the system," especially when they are receiving services from more than one agency
• Coaching and teaching clients
The Ombudsman will assist clients in resolving their concerns by working with agency staff where the client receives services. All client contacts are confidential, unless permission is given otherwise.
*Callers not affiliated with an ADAMH agency are welcome, and will be referred to the best possible resource.
The Ombudsman also works with client and family advocates, Client Rights Officers, and ADAMH agency clinical and management staff to help clients continue to receive quality services.
To contact the Ombudsman, please call Neal Edgar at (614) 242-4357 or e-mail him at nedgar@mhafc.org.
To contact the Ombudsman through this website, please click here for the Ombudsman Contact Form.
To evaluate the services you received from the Ombudsman, please click here for the Client Satisfaction Survey.
