Title 43, Public Welfare

(a) The duties of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Facilities Ombudsman, as created under Section 43-7-53, shall be:(a) The establishment of a procedure to have regular and timely access to the services provided by the State Ombudsman Program and to receive, investigate and…

(1) The Office of the State Long-Term Care Facilities Ombudsman shall designate and refuse, suspend or remove designation of representatives of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Facilities Ombudsman in particular where a conflict of interest cannot be resolved, except that c…

(1) The Office of the State Long-Term Care Facilities Ombudsman shall establish a training and certification program. The State Ombudsman shall specify by rule the content of the training program. Each long-term care facilities ombudsman program shall bear the cost of training it…

(a) The duties of the community ombudsman shall be:(a) The investigation of complaints filed by residents, sponsors, organizations or long-term care facilities on behalf of residents of long-term care facilities relating to the health, safety, welfare and rights of a resident and…

(1) Investigative activities of the ombudsman shall include, but not be limited to: information gathering, mediation, negotiation, informing concerned parties of alternative remedies, reporting of suspected violations to appropriate licensing or certifying agencies and reporting …

(1) Except during the course of an investigation carried out under Section 43-7-65, ombudsmen shall have access to long-term care facilities for the purposes of carrying out the duties enumerated by Sections 43-7-51 through 43-7-79 during reasonable hours or at other times with t…

(a) The State Ombudsman shall establish policies and procedures with regard to confidentiality of resident, long-term care facility and government agency records. These policies and procedures shall ensure that:(a) Any ombudsman shall not disclose the identity of any resident or …

The Department of Human Services shall be responsible for the collection of data and statistics and for making a continuing study of conditions affecting the general welfare of the aging population; for providing for an inter-agency and inter-departmental exchange of ideas; for e…

(a) Individuals participating in an investigation carried out pursuant to Sections 43-7-51 through 43-7-79 shall be immune from any civil liability that otherwise might result by reason of their participation in the investigation as long as such participation is done in good fait…

No long-term care facility covered by Sections 43-7-51 through 43-7-79, its owners, administrator, officers, directors, agents, consultants, employees or any member of management, shall be held civilly liable to any patient, family member of a patient or other third party for any…

The Office of the State Long-term Care Facilities Ombudsman may establish committees to assist in carrying out the programs and duties of such office.

(1) The ombudsman may request information, cooperation and assistance from any government agency, and the agency is hereby authorized and directed to provide cooperation, assistance or information that will enable the ombudsman to properly perform any of his functions, duties and…

The State Ombudsman shall recommend policies and procedures to carry out the provisions of Sections 43-7-51 through 43-7-79 and propose rules and regulations to implement the provisions of Sections 43-7-51 through 43-7-79.