Normally I write about the bad practices of the Ombudsman organization ,but today I wanted to share with you a wonderful volunteer organization that I was introduced to recently.                
Southern Guide Dogs, "Paws For Patriots"
I attended a fund raising event for Paws For Patriots which a good Friend is involved in.
A breakfast at the Vinoy on 9.1.1 Annivsary
    We were in a room full of very incredible humans and dogs who give freely of their time in order to help the disabled. Beside me was "Bruce" a large black  lab who was in training. Bruce was quite the charmer and still learning his  manners at the breakfast table, I almost lost my quiche to him several times!
    Throughout the morning I listened to veterans who have served our country, telling their stories. How they had overcome many of the obstacles with the help of a guide dog. They had gotten back much of the independence they had lost, and had a built in lifelong friend to boot! 
    I also met "Melisa and Duke" , Melisa was raising Duke to be a Guide Dog, she had gotten him at 8 weeks old from a donated litter of yellow labs. We spoke about "Duke"; Duke's career was going to be a "Therapy Dog", he would help,and provide therapy within Nursing homes, Assisted Living Facilities,and Schools. Melisa explained that as the dogs go through trainings and mature there are dogs that are suitable for "Guide Dogs" and other become "Therapy Dogs." We agreed to stay in touch as Duke was getting ready to graduate and could start doing visits. 
    Duke and Melisa came to the facility on Veterans Day and visited our residents, and the cat "yikes", and the squirrels, "yikes"! Needless to say it was humorous and heartfelt to watch. I could not determine if Melisa was walking Duke or the other way around but, the Duo were bringing true "Feel Good Therapy" into our home. Our residents had found a new friend, A tail waggin',Hand Shakin', kisses, for all, friend. 
     I also got the opportunity to learn more about this organization; The volunteers raise the pups from 8 weeks, they are responsible to train them, they attend training sessions at the school, and they must socialize them. I realized while speaking with Melisa what a huge commitment this was for these volunteers. The most heartfelt part for the volunteers;somewhere around two years old, the "Guide Dogs in Training" are matched with their new owner. The volunteers that have raised these wonderful dogs must say good bye to their friend. Melisa said "it is a day filled with mixed emotions, a time of joy and sorrow, an ending and a beginning
     I asked about "Bruce" he has graduated and is becoming a Guide Dog. One evidently who will favor quiche!
Southern Guide Dogs and Paws for Patriots receive no federal funding.They depend on fund raisers, donations ,and wonderful volunteers.Read more about this Organization Southern Guide Dogs

                
I was going to blog tonight about another article from the Miami Herald
but instead I am going to address something that has been bothering
me.                
Anyone who has been following my blog believes it to be anti Ombudsman,
it's not. It is about the bad practices that some of the Ombudsman have been
utilizing for political reasons to prove a point. What  point
  they are trying to prove? AHCA has not been doing a good job in regulating
  facilities.                
When you look at the Long term Care Industry over the last 10 years it
has grown. The Assisted Living Industry is actually a very new Industry. As with
any industry ,rules need to be reviewed and adjusted. Laws need to be re-written
  and programs put in place to regulate, all of that is a natural progression.
  Does there really need to be someone at fault? 

The Ombudsman's name AHCA as the fall guy.

AHCA operates within the rules and guidelines that currently exist. Does that mean they have been a "bad
  "regulatory agency? 

I believe it means they are doing their job. I have found most of the
auditors are very professional and well educated about the statues. 
 
AHCA has also had budget cuts, did they ask for that ? I would suppose
not, but like the rest of us the department had to be able to operate within
that budget. Again not  purposely changing their system, but financially being forced to change their
system.
Now I am reading that the Ombudsman are complaining their reputation has
been ruined ,and they are no longer respected. I believe they can thank the
political motivation of some of the former and current Ombudsman for damaging
the Ombudsman reputation. Hopefully Mr. Crochet can continue to bring reform and
a new face to the Ombudsman Organization. I do believe he is in for a battle .
He has already been accused of being to PRO INDUSTRY.



Being capable of working with both parties. 
Is  it an indication of "to friendly to the industry" or  is it
being an effective advocate? 
 I believe it's being an effective advocate. 

The stories the newspapers are dragging up span a period of ten years,
doesn't that tell you in its self they are reaching. I wish they would spend as
much time covering the budget cuts that are affecting the same people, the
elderly and the handicapped. Maybe then we could see real change. 
 


  


                 

Many of the articles that have been published have
slammed the Assisted Living and Nursing home Industry as a whole. The last
article by the Miami Herald "Assisted Living Facility bites back" "the best
defense is a good offence" misses the mark on why this blog was started and
  continues. It is not about the fear of increased rules or laws. It is not about
  the getting back at a particular person. Nor is it about "Peace Keepers Den ,It
is about bringing to light the political antics of some of the former and
current paid employees of a volunteer organization that receives State funding.
I have written many articles on this blog about the Ombudsman organization being
jaundiced and, cynical about the industry as a whole. Their role is not "a
  regulatory role" it is an advocacy role pure and simple. The issue I have is
when an advocacy group becomes so cynical and politically motivated that they
lose sight of their true purpose. The irresponsible statements to the press
about unverified findings not only damages facilities, and the residents that
live within these communities, but it damages the Ombudsman's image in general.
When your personal feelings override and clouds what the true facts are there is
a problem. When the Ombudsman organization can not show a standard curriculum
for training upon request, that's raises questions in my mind about the
districts role in educating their volunteers. The Ombudsman organization is
  allowed access to many documents within a facility that are not available to
  the average lay person. Because of this they have a moral and legal
responsibility to uphold privacy. When an Ombudsman brings a layperson with them
that is not an Ombudsman regardless of what office the person holds, does not
make residents or staff aware of the person's identity  it
is a violation of every residents rights that reside within that facility. It
clearly states within their statues that no one can enter a facility under the
guise of an Ombudsman without being appointed as an Ombudsman. Is it an issue
having State Representative Brandies in the facility? Absolutely not, he has
visited the facility since. I do have an issue with presenting documents and
allowing him to enter residents rooms without the residents knowing who he was.
That is a violation of the HIPPA LAW ,would any of you like that to occur within
your home? I don't think so. When the Ombudsman organization tells your
residents the facility will be closing, when there has been no ruling to that
effect from AHCA. Do you not find that damaging and irresponsible? When an
Ombudsman employee gives unverified observations to the press, without a
regulatory agency confirming those findings, do you not find that irresponsible?
 The fact that they are an advocacy group does not excuse them from being morally and legally responsible for their
behaviors within the position they hold purly to make a political statement.
 I have recieved some comments lately that have not been supportive of my blog, I have published them as I believe all sides are important in any issue. 
Thanks again for following, Kelly


                 
                 
  

Peacekeepers Den
Chased by watchdogs, ALF bites back
By Carol Marbin Miller and Michael 
Sallah       The Miami Herald     


For the owners of one Pinellas County home that cares 
for residents with mental illness and faces a variety of complaints, the best 
defense is a good offense.
 
   cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com

             While members of the Pinellas County ombudsman program were 
inspecting conditions at the Peacekeepers Den assisted-living facility, 
administrators were watching the watchdogs.
 In late August, operators of the St. Petersburg ALF created an Internet blog 
with the stated purpose of allowing ALF administrators and operators to discuss 
their shared concerns “during this time of political turmoil in our 
industry.”
 “We are in the middle of a political struggle,” the site said, referring to 
conflicts between the state’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Program, a group of 
volunteer elder advocates, and the Agency for Health Care Administration, which 
inspects ALFs to ensure they comply with state law.       
    In the three months since the Ombudsman Watch Group was created, the 
site has lobbied for greater training for volunteers, complained that volunteer 
inspectors have a “political agenda” and a “lack of good judgment,” called for 
the firing of Natalie Clanzy, the ombudsman program’s Pinellas manager, and 
reported with glee the firing of a key volunteer from Broward.
 “The Ombudsman organization has for too long overstepped their boundaries and
  lost sight of their role,” a Sept. 9 blog post said. “They are walking into 
facilities without fully understanding the laws and rules and making public 
statements that are unverified by any regulatory agency.’’
 The ombudsman program, the blog suggests, is less about oversight than 
mounting a “witch hunt.”
 The blog is largely an extension of a dustup between the operators of 
Peacekeepers Den and Clanzy, who made unflattering statements about the facility
  following an August inspection, and has been lobbing healthcare regulators for 
months to seek improvements at the home. The ALF’s operators also were angry 
that Clanzy took a state lawmaker on a tour of the home without making clear to 
administrators who the man was.
 “We view her actions as a direct violation of our residents’ rights,” said a 
formal complaint to the ombudsman program that was posted on the blog. Demands 
that Clanzy be dismissed were rebuffed by the head of the ombudsman program, Jim
  Crochet.
 The blog fails to mention: Peacekeepers Den has been fined $9,000 by AHCA 
since May. This year, AHCA surveyors cited the home for failing to maintain an 
accurate medication record — though the home has a special license for mental 
health consumers — failing to ensure residents’ clothes did not get stolen, 
failing to document staff training, failing to document background screening for
  all employees, inadequate staffing and failing “to provide a safe and decent 
living environment for residents.” Among the problems: feces and toilet paper 
left in a toilet for months, and lack of hot water.
 One resident, ombudsmen said, was evicted from the home due to “constant 
complaints.” Her gripes: The resident “stated she won’t eat the food at 
Peacekeepers Den since it makes her sick.” Another resident told the volunteer 
in May “the food also makes him sick.” 
The home’s most serious problem was its roof, which, AHCA wrote, left 
residents “at risk of death or serious harm.”
 The source of complaints about Peacekeeper’s roof problems: Clanzy, and local
  ombudsman volunteers, who filed two complaints to AHCA about it.
Residents,” a June AHCA administrative complaint said, “report items getting
  wet due to roof leaks and ceiling material falling on them.”
 AHCA has issued the home a notice that the agency intends to deny the renewal
  of its license. In a letter to owners dated May 24, the agency cited 52
separate  violations at the home since September 2010.
 “Some rooms’ ceilings had brown stains and holes, were cracked and buckled, 
and [were] falling onto residents,” the letter said. “The surveyor reported the 
facility was unable to present a plan to address the damaged roof and protect 
residents from further leaks or falling ceiling material.”
 AHCA administrators’ displeasure was not directed only at the home, however. 
They also were angry at volunteer ombudsmen.
 In May, AHCA’s director of field operations, Polly Weaver, complained to 
Crochet that volunteers in St. Petersburg created a controversy when they told 
Peacekeeper residents the home was going to be closed. That’s not happening, 
AHCA administrators said — at least not any time soon.
The notice of intent to deny gives [the home] the opportunity — they have 21
  days — to request a hearing. If they do, we will wait for the court date, and, 
once it’s heard, if the judge decides to uphold the denial, we’d then need to 
wait for a final order. Once we have this, the facility will need to close and 
residents will have to move. They usually enclose a stay of 30-45 days to give 
residents time for a safe relocation,” AHCA inspector Kathleen Varga wrote July 
7 to Crochet.
This process can take up to a year,” Varga added.    



Read
more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/22/v-fullstory/2467435/chased-by-watchdogs-alf-bites.html#ixzz1btACgKRN

As the information you provided in your comment you have read reports that only an Ombudsman can read so...welcome aboard. All of those items you wrote about did occur. I will explain further...
The roof did have a leak and has had leaks for the last two-three years. The owner took over the facility in September 2010,thus the reason for the Change of ownwership survey. What it does not tell you is the owner paid $10,000.00 in September of 2010 to have the roof repaired,  the contractor did warranty the roof as had returned many times to readdress this issue, All residents had been removed from the rooms that were affected,prior to any Ombudsman walking thru the doors. The hot water was again an existing issue that had been not addressed by the previuos owner, and was addressed by hiring a plumber to put new pumps in to help move the hot water thruout the building, this was completed by early November-December 2010. at a cost of almost $3000.00. The background screenings.....Because it was a change of owner all employees that had been cleared thru AHCA background screening unit with clear background screenings under old rule, had to be cleared under the new rules. This was done by November, with a fingerprint unit being brought to the site, as the new rules had caused a huge influx in background screenings the results from AHCA were taking a long period of time to be processed. All of the employees had prior clear background screenings under the old rule. What this also does not tell you that there were 24 pages of deficiancies in December 2010,this is the result of a poor administration from the prior ownwership . These concerns were brought to AHCA, Medicade fraud unit and the Ombudsman organizations attention within the first  month of by the new administration. Ahca surveyors were in the building the first day of the new administration, they saw the outgoing administration shreading documents and stripping the building of all records including..Fire plans,emergency plans,policy and procedure manuals,resident records,employee records,all food,all furniture,all emergency equipment etc. If you read the first AHCA survey dated Septemeber 29th 2010 you will see evidence of all of this in AHCA verbage. March 24 2011 all deficiancies relating to the Change of ownership had been cleared. It has taken a year and alot of money to bring this facility into compliance. The way the rules are written currently does not give a facility more than 30 days to fix issues that exist upon a change of ownership, thus the repeated tags. We are not losing our licence...we are sheduled for an administrative hearing ( not litigation)  The medication error: a new employee that was hired had not initialed several areas on the MOR over the weekend. The employee was dismissed Immediately, there have been 6 clear cart audits from the pharmacy since that date . No deficiances found.
The complaints from two residents....The person was clinically ill. This resident was case managed, with twice weekly visits from their case management team. The Doctor had been requested 3-4 times within a two week period by the administrator, with daily phone contact with casemanagement team by the administrator. This resident had been removed from an apartment which this person had barracaded themselves in, was hospitalised and then brought to the facility for stabilization, but was told they could not return to their apartment. This resident started acting out, they called every organization from Health dept,fire dept,DCF, AHCA, ombudsman. These agencies were themselves getting frustrated by these calls,I explained to them I could not stop this resident from making calls it would be a violation of this residents rights. The resident told the Ombudsman there was no food in the facility, when the Ombudsman came ..I showed them a pantry filled with food and our grocery reciepts for months that total about $6000.00 per month. He asked "why would this resident say this?" my reply "she is ill" This resident was convinced the food was poisened and convinced another resident that the food was poisened( that resident required intervention form a LCSW that works at the facility as a result of this.) All of this was documented by the case management team. A close family member of this resident was also kept up to date by the administrator. It was a clinical decision to move this resident, made jointly with her doctor, casemanagement team, and her family member. This resident was affecting the wellbeing of 49 other residents. Unfortunately in a mental health facility behaviors from an unstable resident can cause havoc. The resident does not lie they really believe these things , thus the DX. "parinoid" This is why it is so vitally important that the people that look into complaints are educated about mentall illness. They must llok at all the facts, call the support teams that are in place,family members etc. If you were to read the resident meeting minutes the month after this resident was moved you would be surprised to read that they were glad this resident had been moved because of their behavior.

Lets look at Peace Keepers Den today; roughly a year later.

There is a wellness team in place which consists of:
Mental Health and Primary care Doctor visits monthly
LCSW( licenced clinical social worker) Holds groups and one on one counseling for any resident who needs, or wants counseling. The LCSW also meets with all staff each Wednesday to discuss resident behaviors, issues. Roll playing is also involved as a way of understanding some of the behaviors.
Podiatrist visits every 6 weeks
Physical therapist group: one on one therapy as needed, excercise class weekly
labs,xrays,testing done on site
Resident care coordinator- she helps residents with any needs they may have . Dart transport arrangements,qualifying etc., free cell phones, Buss passes, resident counsel, resident concerns etc.
LPN on staff to help monitor medications, medication administration best practices.
Resident counsel: consists of 5 residents elected by the residents. They meet 1st wednesday of each month, roughly 20-25 residents attend, the minutes are posted with the solutions.

Physical plant:
Building has been painted, outside and inside
seven resident rooms have been completely refurbished, we are completing about two per month. This includes painting, buffing floors. new AC's.
Kitchen has been refurbished with a new stove, hot water heater, shelving.
New furniture has been purchased for Lobby area and den, this includes leather couches, chairs, flat screen T.V.
A counseling/eduaction room has been completed  for resident use, such as Nami Peer to Peer (which has held their 10 week class) Nami consumer meetings, group conseling etc.
Dining serving station with juice and coffee station is to be completed by December 30th, all items have been purchased for this area. We already have free coffee and tea service for the residents thru out the day that is free.
There is a pest control service which makes monthly visits
Cleaning service in place to clean resident rooms.

I could go on and on and list the things that have changed this last year at Peace Keepers Den as it is so extensive, but the biggest change that has occured is in the culture of the community. It is not a place to house the Mentally ill. It is a home that supports the challanges that the mentally ill face everyday. We work with the residents on recovery and eduaction. With understanding their symptoms, behaviors  and helping them to achieve. I do understand the misconception that you may have had about Peace Keepers. I would like to extend an invitation to you to visit this community, as I am proud of the road we have traveled to get to this point.  Again this is why I stress the need for the Ombudsman to be educated about mental health  and the underlying issues that exist. Often times it takes a person educated in human services,and interviewing skills to determine the real facts that sorround this type of community. Because a complaint has been made does not make it so.

Again thanks for your comment, Kelly

    I know I usually Blog about the short comings of our current
  Ombudsman Employees. Their narrow vision within the mental health communities,
  lack of education in this field, and the lack of understanding of the true
  issues that this population faces every day, but today.......my thoughts                
     I attended A NAMI benefit last night, it was as inspiring as always. To
see so many people from every walk of life celebrating and honoring the
achievements of the community. I don't know how many of you are familiar with
this organization. They receive no state funding, it is truly a grass roots
 organization that supports those living with a mental illness. What I find most
 amazing is the absolute enthusiasm, humor, and support that exists within this
 organization. I had the chance to catch up with prior graduates and
 facilitators that had held a 10 week class at my facility several months ago.
      One of the facilitators told me I was in their slide show, he said, "You looked
so proud that day as you watched everyone graduate." He was right, that day I
watched people I respect  take one more step in battle ling and understanding their illness. 
     This year more than other years this was so apparent to me , maybe
because of the amount of time, energy and tax payers Dollars, not to mention the
press coverage that the Ombudsman organization's former employees have gotten.
More the huge contrast that exists between this Volunteer organization and the
 Ombudsman Organization. NAMI believes in educating, acceptance, and change.
  Everyone I have met or worked with within this community believes in turning
  adversity into triumph, in overcoming obstacles. The difference is  they
do it with such class and professionalism.

    The saddest part....There was not a reporter in site. There will be no
mention of this wonderful organization in The Saint Pete times or other media to
day, or probably any other day. But Let Former Ombudsman Employee Brien Lee or
any other "wronged" Ombudsman open their mouth and every reporter from
  Tallahassee to Miami will be on the band wagon ears a flap pin..like office
  gossipers who want to spread the word, because its juicy, like a reality TV
  series on steroids.Sad is'nt it.

    My respect goes out to all the NAMI consumers ,volunteers, advocates and
supporters that work so hard every day. Thank You, Kelly

To date I have still not recieved a copy of the Florida Ombudsman State Curriculum, Only this letter from the legal dept. of the Ombudsman office. (above attached file) Please read, It would make me assume there is none. They did find the need to compare to ALF Administrators training Why? I simply wanted a CURRICULM # 2 below states clearly "The Ombudsman Shall approve the curriculum" which means they must have one by state stautes, why then is it unavailable after over four weeks of requesting one?

400.0091 Training.—The ombudsman shall ensure that appropriate training is provided to all employees of
the office and to the members of the state and local councils.
(1) All state and local council members and employees of the office shall be given a
minimum of 20 hours of training upon employment with the office or approval as a
state or local council member and 10 hours of continuing education annually
thereafter.
(2) The ombudsman shall approve the curriculum for the initial and continuing education
training, which must, at a minimum, address:
(a) Resident confidentiality.
(b) Guardianships and powers of attorney.
(c) Medication administration.
(d) Care and medication of residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
(e) Accounting for residents’ funds.
(f) Discharge rights and responsibilities.
(g) Cultural sensitivity.
(h) Any other topic recommended by the secretary.
(3) No employee, officer, or representative of the office or of the state or local
councils, other than the ombudsman, may hold himself or herself out as a
representative of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program or conduct any
authorized program duty described in this part unless the person has received
the training required by this section and has been certified by the ombudsman as
qualified to carry out ombudsman activities on behalf of the office or the state
or local councils.
History.—ss. 15, 30, ch. 93-177; s. 135, ch. 2000-349; s. 55, ch.
2000-367; s. 32, ch. 2001-62; s. 27, ch. 2002-223; s. 20, ch.
2006-121.

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.

Fla. elder chief promises
  ombudsman compliance 
By BILL KACZOR
Associated  Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's nursing home ombudsman
  program will make changes to comply with federal law, the head of the state's
  Department of Elder Affairs told a Senate committee Tuesday


The panel's chairwoman, meanwhile, blasted an
anti-ombudsman  website as "childish" and "political."
 Elder Affairs Secretary Charles Corley outlined his
  compliance plans in an appearance before the Senate Children, Families and
Elder  Affairs Committee.
 A federal report last month said Florida had violated the
  U.S. Older Americans Act by curtailing the independence of the ombudsman who is
  supposed to represent the interests of long-term care facility residents.
The report also said Gov. Rick Scott's decision to fire
  former Ombudsman Brian Lee violated the spirit, although not the letter, of the
  law after industry members had urged him to replace Lee.
he department will drop restrictions on news releases and
  other media comment by the current ombudsman, Jim Crochet, and sign him up as a
  legislative lobbyist in response to the report's findings that his roles a
  public and legislative advocate were being hampered by the agency, Corley
  said.Corley also told lawmakers he would not interfere with the
  ombudsman's appointment or dismissal of volunteers, who play a key role in
  monitoring nursing homes, although he reserved the right to step in if they
  violate the law.
"I view it as how do we draw that fine line between
  independence and the accountability of the ombudsman because everybody's
  accountable to somebody," Corley said. "Nobody should ever interpret
  independence as being anything that deprives you of that accountability."
Corley said that under state and federal law the ombudsman
  is accountable to him.
Besides firing Lee on the governor's orders, Corley
  decertified two volunteers, both members of a statewide ombudsman counsel, for
  allegedly violating Florida's open-government "sunshine" law by exchanging
  emails to privately discuss business they expected to take up when the panel
met  in public.
The department's general counsel, Dean Kowalchyk, said
they  were decertified only after ignoring warnings they couldn't discuss
council  business privately among themselves.
Committee Chairwoman Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, said they
  shouldn't have been fired. Instead, they should have been advised they could
  discuss council business among themselves after posting public notice of their
  email exchange, Storms said.
She said the sunshine law was intended to thwart public
  corruption but there was none in this case.
They were not plotting for their own personal benefit,"
  Storms said. "They're only trying to do what is the right thing on behalf of
  residents."
Lynn Dos Santos, a Venice woman who was one of the
  terminated volunteers, questioned Corley's commitment to the ombudsman's
  independence.
"Nobody was allowed to do anything unless it crossed his
  desk, and from what I just heard him say it doesn't sound like he's giving it
  up," she told the lawmakers.
Storms was unhappy with the Ombudsman Watchdog Group
website  for posts questioning whether the volunteers were seeking facts or
conducting a  "witch hunt," accusing them of making unverified statements to the
media and  lacking training. One post was titled "Give them a Rope ... They
think their  (sic) a Cowboy."
"This kind of response is childish, it's political,"
Storms  said. She suggested the industry, instead, should focus on improving
resident  care although she acknowledged it has a free speech right to express
its views  through the website.
The site is operated by Kelly O'Sullivan, administrator of
  The Peacekeeper's Den Inc., a St. Petersburg assisted living facility for the
  mentally ill. She said the site was a response to unverified media statements
by  an ombudsman staffer.
They are damaging reputations with unfounded
allegations,"  O'Sullivan said in a telephone interview. She said she's got 102
Twitter  followers and that the site is a way for "people in the industry to
voice their  concerns with what's going on politically."
O'Sullivan said she was hired a year ago and is trying to
  turn around what had been a badly managed facility. State records show it has
  been fined eight times for $17,500 since 2006 for problems ranging from a leaky
  roof to resident care deficiencies.
Corley called the website a distraction, but Lee, the
former  ombudsman, told the committee it was just one form of intimidation the
program  has faced and that the department should act to stop it.
Lee, now executive director of the private advocacy group
  Families for Better Care, said state and federal law prohibit intimidation.
  O'Sullivan said the website was not intended to intimidate.


© 2011 The Associated  Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published,  broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn
more about our Privacy
Policy and Terms of
Use.


 
 
 
 
  
 
  

I was asked today why I wrote this blog, I realised that the frustration with the dis-connect that the Ombudsman have shown understanding the true state of the Mental Health poulation in general. The flippiant remarks such as the residents should be encouraged to particpate in community programs...what planet have they been on? Are they so far removed from this population that they would not know that almost all day programs including one of the largest in Saint Pete have been closed down. That free buss passes have been stopped by PSTA which further impedes the residents wellbeing. That if you don't have medicare benefits your kind of screwed,, facilities are not going to admit you as they can not provide nursing care if needed, why? because medicade does not cover home health nurses.What does this mean?If you get sick you go to the hospital to seek care,  Medicare reimbursement rates are being reduced another 11% for home health agencies. What does this mean? The nursing agencies are going to have to shorten their care visits to the residents.Do they not realise that most mental health residents live below poverty level . why? because their disability rate is so low.What does this mean? the facility then operates at poverty level. Sad isn't it. This does not mean they are bad facilities (there are some out there, but they are not the norm),nor does it  excuse a facilty to be substandard. No it means a facility must be creative in their use of resources. There are many wonderful mental health facilities who are overcoming many of the challanges that have been created with the continued cutbacks in funding. Many of us are passionate about our communities, although not every person would understand the unique qualities that exist in many of these facilities., the amount of care and kindness that so many staff members within these facilites dedicate to their communities is amazing. When you miss the true culture and find only the weeds in the garden you have become ineffective as an advocate.

I had put together a informational document  for Representative Brandes, I have attached it to this post, hopefully you find it en-lightning.