Behavioral Health Patients Rights Advocates for Sutter and Yuba Counties

The SmithWaters Group
Frank and Willyum SmithWaters
1 (800) 970-5816

What Patients’ Rights Advocates Do:

  • Represent Consumers at Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals – Patients’ Rights Advocates travel to psychiatric hospitals throughout Sutter and Yuba Counties. County and represent patients who are involuntarily detained. The Advocate prepares consumers for their certification review hearings. The hearings are held to determine if the treatment facility has sufficient cause to hold the patient without their consent. Advocates also represent consumers at medication capacity hearings (Riese hearings). These hearings are held to determine whether or not an involuntarily treated patient has the ability to consent to or refuse psychiatric medication.
  • Respond to Patients’ Rights Related Psychiatric Grievances and Complaints – Typically, Patients’ Rights Advocates investigate and respond to grievances and complaints about inpatient mental health providers. The complaints can come from consumers, family, and friends. Advocates also provide other advocacy and mediation services to consumers involving psychiatric providers, which can include outpatient providers.
  • Provide Residential Advocacy – Patients’ Rights Advocates, along with the State of California Community Care Licensing and the Ombudsman, investigate complaints about licensed board and cares and unlicensed residential facilities where consumers live. They also provide training on residential law and rights to consumers, family and providers.
  • Respond to Consumer Concerns at Long-Term Placement (IMD) facilities – Patients’ Rights Advocates work directly with consumers living in IMD/MHRC’s in Sutter and Yuba Counties, providers, families, and interested parties. Patients’ Rights Advocates also provide training and educational presentations on patients’ rights and mental health law to consumers, providers and interested parties.
  • Locate Missing Persons – Assist families and friends to find missing mental health consumers without violating consumer’s privacy or HIPAA regulations.
  • Provide Medi-Cal Beneficiary Publications and Forms – Distribute information explaining Medi-Cal mental health services and grievance forms in the threshold languages.