What We Do
Plan and Implement
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Clinical Quality Coordinating Centers of Excellence Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Ohio Tobacco and Recovery Initiative Research and Evaluation Residency and Traineeship Program Solutions for Ohio's Quality Improvement and Compliance Protect and Monitor
Allocation Guidelines Block Grant Client Rights and Advocacy Community Plans Consumer Outcomes Fiscal Reporting Forms and Templates Legislation Licensure and Certification MACSIS Medicaid Patient Care System Pre-Admission Screening and Resident Review Provide
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Office of Consumer Advocacy and Protection (OCAP)

Recovery and Rights
OCAP promotes the integration of consumer rights, recovery and quality clinical care in several initiatives. One example is Advocacy Curriculum for Everyone (ACE), which advances self, peer and professional advocacy, consumer rights and recovery and client voice in policy and program development work.

Advocacy Manpower Technical Assistance and Staff Development
OCAP works with rights and recovery advocates at the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) regional psychiatric hospitals to provide information and support. OCAP also infuses recovery and rights into advocacy work and sponsors an annual training seminar for county board client rights officers.

Policies, Rules and Procedures Governing Advocacy and Protection
OCAP assures federal and state consumer safeguards through promulgating and updating ODMH rules on client rights, grievance procedures, abuse and neglect. For example, as part of ODMH’s certification process for community mental health agencies, OCAP reviews, approves and checks policies on client rights and grievance procedures. OCAP also develops, disseminates, reviews and analyzes data from the annual client rights grievance/complaint reports that are collected by county boards and agencies. In addition, OCAP is taking the lead in streamlining the various rights and grievance procedures into a bill of rights document for statewide application.

Complaints, Grievances and Appeals
OCAP provides information and consultation to consumers, family members and advocates, as well as to administrators of agencies, boards and hospitals regarding the rights of people receiving services, including their right to file formal or informal complaints. OCAP staff also collaborates with toll-free bridge line personnel on these consumer rights concerns and complaints. They review and investigate all formal complaints and grievances appealed to ODMH regarding allegations of rights violations from people receiving services from community mental health agencies, ODMH regional psychiatric hospitals, ODMH licensed residential facilities and private psychiatric inpatient units.