Ohio Department of Health Toll Free in Ohio (both voice & TTD:
1-800-282-4536 Ext. 1391
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 240
Chicago, IL 60601 Voice Phone: (312) 886-2359
TDD: (312) 886-1807 (312) 886-1807 (fax)
U.S. Department of Medicare 6401 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21235-6401 (800) 633-4227 (877) 486-2048 www.medicare.gov
Social Security Administration Office of Public Inquires
Windsor Park Building 6401 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21235 (800) 772-1213 (800) 325-0778 (TTY) http://www.socialsecurity.gov
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Cleveland District Office
Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building 1240 East Ninth Street, Suite 3001
Cleveland, OH 44199 Phone: (800) 669-4000
TTY: (800) 669-6820 (216) 522-7395 (fax)
http://www.eeoc.gov/cleveland/index.html
Paint Valley ADAMH Board 394 Chestnut Street Chillicothe, OH 45601 Client Rights Officer: Juni Frey Phone: (740) 773-2283 ext. 106
(740) 773-2770 (fax) Email: [email protected]
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS)
280 North High Street, 12th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614)466-3445 (TDD)(TDY) (614) 644-9140
(614) 752-8645 (fax) www.odadas.state.oh.us
CLIENT RIGHTS PROCEDURES
1. The Director of each Clinic or Program, as identified above, will serve as a Clients Rights Officer and will be responsible to accept and oversee the process of any grievance filed by a client or anyone on behalf of a client.
2. All workforce members shall be responsible to explain the Client Rights and/or Grievance Procedure upon request.
3. A copy and explanation of the Client Rights shall be given to each person seeking services at the Center. In the case of an emergency, the client should be informed of at least those rights applicable to Emergency Services, such as the right to consent to or refuse treatment and the consequences of accepting or refusing treatment. In an emergency, the distribution and explanation of Client Rights may be delayed until a second contact. Recipients of community services should receive a copy and explanation of Client Rights upon request.
4. A copy of the Client Rights Policy should be posted in a conspicuous location in each facility and is available for review on the Center’s website: www.spvmhc.org.
5. Clinic and Program Directors are responsible to assure all workforce members are familiar with the Client Rights and Grievance Procedure.
6. The most current ODMH Client Rights Resource Agencies List is provided to clients as part of this Policy and in the Client Handbook, which is available for review on the Center’s website.
GRIEVANCES PROCEDURE FOR EMPLOYEES AND CLIENTS FOR EMPLOYEES:
1. Employees shall utilize the following process to resolve problems that cannot be resolved otherwise on an informal basis.
2. The Grievance Procedure is designed as an employee tool to seek resolution of' problems which cannot be resolved on an informal basis. The grievance process should be initiated within three (3) weeks of the aggrieved incident.
3. In the initial step of the Grievance Procedure, the employee presents the grievance in writing including dates, persons involved, etc. to their immediate supervisor. A record of supervisory meetings shall be kept by the supervisor and signed by the employee following each stage of the process.
4. The supervisor is required to meet with the employee within five (5) working days of submission of the grievance. If the grievance is not resolved at this level, the employee may request a meeting with the supervisor's supervisor, by submitting the grievance, the written response and a written request for a meeting. This and subsequent meetings should be held
within five (5) working days of the submission of the grievance and may include the employee and other levels of supervisory staff.
5. If the grievance remains unresolved, the employee may submit the grievance, the written response(s) and a written request for a meeting to the appropriate Associate Director:
Clinical Services or Finance.
6. If the grievance remains unresolved, the employee may submit the grievance, the written response(s), and a written request for a meeting to the Executive Director, who will meet with the employee within five (5) working days if at all possible.
7. If the grievance remains unresolved, the employee may submit the grievance, the written response(s), and a written request to meet with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at their next regularly scheduled meeting or one called for the specific purpose provided it is sooner than the regular meeting. The Executive Director will facilitate this request. The Executive Committee will make a summary report to the full Board at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
8. The employee, via the Executive Director, may ask the President of the Board of Trustees for a meeting with the Board of Trustees. All Board decisions are to be considered final.
9. Where a grievance goes beyond the level of immediate supervisor and it appears it will not be resolved at the intermediate levels, it may be brought immediately to the appropriate Associate Director so long as the intervening levels of supervision and the employee agree.
The administration reserves the right to request that the intermediate levels attempt to resolve the grievance. However, the employee retains the right to appeal to the administration if not satisfied with the action of the intermediate levels of supervision.
FOR CLIENTS:
Any client who has a complaint about Center services, staff or facilities is first encouraged to discuss the grievance with his/her case manager or therapist in an attempt to informally resolve the matter. However, any client who believes his/her rights have been violated is encouraged to follow the steps outlined below.
1. The client should contact the Director of the Clinic or Program where they are being served order to discuss and attempt to resolve the alleged violation. This initial contact can be writing, by phone or in person and the Director is expected to schedule a meeting within five business days to discuss the complaint. The client should be prepared to state how his/her rights have been violated, by whom and when the violation occurred. The client may present the grievance in writing but if unable to do so, the Director will put the complaint in writing for the client (Attachment 1). Any assistance required by the client in filing the grievance shall be provided and the agency will investigate the grievance on behalf of the client and provide representation for the client at the grievance meeting if desired. The Clinic and Program Directors listed shall be responsible to provide any assistance required. The Director
will attempt to resolve the complaint and/or assure the violation is corrected. If the grievance is resolved, all documentation shall be forward to the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director. If the grievance is unresolved, documentation shall be forwarded to the Associate Director of Clinical Services or the Associate Director of Intensive Services.
2. If the grievance cannot be resolved by the local Clinic or Program Director, the client has the right to request a meeting with the Associate Director of Clinical Services or the Associate Director of Intensive Services, who can be contacted at Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center, 4449 State Route 159, P.O. Box 6179, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601-6179 (740/775-1260). The Associate Director of Clinical Services or the Associate Director of Intensive Services will schedule a meeting to attempt to resolve the complaint within five business days. If the grievance is resolved, all documentation shall be forwarded to the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director. If the grievance is unresolved, all documentation shall be forwarded to the Executive Director.
3. If the grievance remains unresolved, the client may appeal to the Executive Director who can be contacted at Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center, 4449 State Route 159, P.O. Box 6179, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601-6179 (740/775-1260). The Executive Director will schedule a meeting with the client to resolve the grievance within five business days but no later than twenty (20) working days from the date the complaint was made. If the grievance is resolved, all documentation shall be forwarded to the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director. If the grievance is unresolved, all documentation shall be forwarded a committee of the Board of Trustees.
4. If the grievance is not resolved at this level the client may request a meeting with a committee of the Board of Trustees through the Executive Director. A meeting with the committee of the Board will occur within 20 business days or at the next regularly scheduled meeting or one called for the specific purpose of hearing the grievance provided it is sooner than the regular meeting. All Board decisions are considered final. All documents shall be forwarded to the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director.
5. Minutes of each meeting between the client and staff or Board committee will be kept with both the client and the Center receiving a copy of the meeting minutes.
6. A client or griever may specify any person to receive information about the grievance or to represent him/her in the grievance by written request.
7. All grievances are to be referred directly to the Executive Director when requested by the client if a good faith effort to involve the client in the above process has failed.
8. All clients have the option to initiate a complaint with the Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMH) Board, 394 Chestnut Street, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 (740/773-2283); The Ohio Department of Mental Health, State Office Tower, Suite 1180, 3 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (614/466-2596); The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, 280 North High Street, 12th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (1/800/788/7254); The Ohio Legal Rights Service, East Long Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (1/800/282-9181); The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 606 Central Center, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 (740/774-5500); or any appropriate professional licensing or regulatory association (See attached Resource Agencies list). Any of the above organizations can receive information about the grievance upon request when a client has initiated a complaint provided the client has signed an Authorization For Release Information with the Center for the organization requesting the information.
9. The Grievance Procedure should be posted in a conspicuous place and should be provided to anyone upon request. All staff shall be responsible for attempting to resolve any and all complaints by clients and to assist clients in the resolution of any complaints with special diligence and attention to those complaints involving a violation of client rights. If the Clinic or Program Director is unavailable or is the subject of the complaint, all staff shall be responsible for assisting the client to contact the Associate Director of Clinical Services or Associate Director of Intensive Services without delay. The Center will not retaliate in any way against a client who files a grievance.