Long Term Care Ombudsman

Perhaps it’s her big smile, the friendly eyes behind her wire-rimmed glasses or the way she doesn’t let a simple “I’m fine” pass without a follow-up question.

Judith Sullivan, 66, is a volunteer with the Coulee Region Volunteer Ombudsman Program for the Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long Term Care. Once a week she knocks on the doors of resident rooms at Bethany St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse. She asks about the food, the staff and their overall well-being. She typically hears no complaint. But, when residents have a problem, she isn’t afraid to tell the administration.

“My role here is (to be) the eyes of the public and the voice of the residents,” she said.

....The Volunteer Ombudsman Program was started in 1994 to reduce the burden on regional ombudsmen — 14 paid employees who monitor 400 nursing homes in the state. In 2008, the program expanded to 20 new counties, including those in the Coulee Region, said Karen Price, coordinator of the program. Eight volunteer ombudsmen are now serving in La Crosse County, and Price is searching for more. The main qualifications? Be open-minded and care about others, Price said.

Read the full article [here] and learn more about the Wisconsin Board on Aging & Long Term Care Volunteer Ombudsman Program [here].

What?? Noise Ombudsman Appointed In Australia

Australia's first independent aircraft noise ombudsman will have his work cut out for him.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointment of Ron Brent to the position on Tuesday.Mr Brent will have the task of reviewing the handling of complaints about airport noise and the efficiency of community consultation processes on airport noise.

From the Sydney Morning Herald [here].

WSJ: New ADR Services For Healthcare Field

Not sure if everyone read this already (I was away for a few days) but this sounds pretty impactful in the healthcare field as we as the ADR field.

From the Wall Street Journal on July 22nd:
To cut medical-malpractice costs, five New York City hospitals have agreed to a pilot program to divulge medical mistakes early, offer settlements quickly and use special state "health courts,'' where judges will help negotiate agreements before cases go to trial.

..."Judge-directed negotiations'' will likely resemble a long-time mediation effort by Bronx Judge Douglas McKeon, who is credited with helping to cut malpractice costs incurred by New York City's Health and Hospitals Corp., which runs the city's public hospitals. The mediation effort has cut payouts to $130 million this year, from a high of $196 million in 2003, said Al Aviles, HHC's president.

...Nicholas I. Timko, president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, said he was hopeful but had concerns. "We favor initiatives that promote patient safety, but are concerned that the disclosure and early settlement program may allow negligent providers to escape responsibility for their actions and exploit patients unrepresented by counsel,'' he said.


Read the full article [here].

Of course this raises many, many questions. To start with, here are two:

1) is this a new form of med-arb?

2) Do the judges have any formal mediation training?

Divorce Mediation Article in USA Today

An interesting article today from USAToday.com which mentions some of the advantages to mediating a divorce:

No one keeps statistics on the number of mediated and collaborative divorces. But Zarzynski, during 31 years of practice, has seen the trend firsthand. When he started, mediated cases were rare. Ten years ago, he mediated about a dozen a year; last year, that number was 75.

A typical traditional divorce can stretch out for months — even years — and cost both parties $15,000 to $25,000.

Zarzynski says a mediated divorce, on average, costs $1,000 and takes 70 days, including the state's mandatory cooling-off period of 60 days.

...Over the past 30 years, mediation's popularity has grown as an alternative to going to court across the U.S. in all kinds of legal disputes. In California, mediation is mandatory for contested child custody and visitation. And, in attempts to ease the negative effects of divorce on children, at least 28 states require divorcing couples to attend parenting classes that among other things teach the importance of parenting together.

Full article [HERE]

Mediators' "Defining" Moment!

I came across this on a listserv I belong to and thought some would find it of interest:

MEDIATORS' "DEFINING" MOMENT!

Looking for a defining opportunity for you (and our profession) to be heard? Here's one such opportunity brought to you by NAFCM: the National Association For Community Mediation.

The Department of Labor (DOL) wants to know what it takes to be an "expert mediator" and have turned to NAFCM for help. As a member-based organization serving hundreds of mediators and community mediation centers - which, in turn, oversee thousands of skilled mediators nationwide - NAFCM is a natural fit to help the DOL identify the education, training, experience, and skills which combine to form our field's best practitioners.

Here is how you can help shape the definition of "Mediator" for years to come:

By Wednesday, July 21st, at 5:00 pm PDT, send an e-mail to Justin R. Corbett, Executive Director of NAFCM, at corbett@nafcm.org with the following information:
Your name,
Your contact information (phone, e-mail, and postal address), and
A brief (single paragraph) overview of your experience as a mediator (or mediation educator, trainer, coordinator, etc.).

This information will then be shared with the DOL. A random sample of respondents will be sent a 90-minute, confidential questionnaire, available to complete either online or via paper form, which examines a series of characteristic and competence metrics NAFCM has helped the DOL develop. After completion, participants will be provided a congratulatory letter from both the DOL and NAFCM. More importantly, however, is the satisfaction of having helped to shape a detailed report on what it takes to be a mediator. This new description will be used by the federal government, and will be accessible online for all those considering a career or a volunteer commitment as a mediator.

"Expert mediators" can be market-oriented, court-connected, and/or community-based practitioners. Diversity of experience, focus, frameworks, and context is encouraged to develop the most robust, inclusive definition of mediator characteristics. Define your moment and define our field by sending a message to corbett@nafcm.org NOW!