A nursing home ombudsman serves a critical role in ensuring patient safety and protecting patient rights. But many families with loved ones in a nursing home do not know how an ombudsman can help them, much less how to contact their nursing home ombudsman. Below, we explore the responsibilities of a nursing home ombudsman and give you the tools to contact your local ombudsman.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Nursing Home Ombudsman?
Nursing home ombudsmen work to protect residents by providing advocacy, guidance, and support to those in need, resolving disputes while protecting the residents’ privacy. A few responsibilities nursing home ombudsmen hold include:
- Investigating Complaints: Ombudsmen will review complaints levied against long-term care providers by interviewing all parties involved and determining the best course of action.
- Mediation: Oftentimes, the nursing home ombudsman will act as the mediator in resolving disputes between families’ and their long-term care providers.
- Educating Residents: The nursing home ombudsman is responsible for providing information on resident rights, the complaint process, how to file a complaint, and even what to expect during an investigation.
- Resident Representation: Above all, the nursing home ombudsman is responsible for representing the interests of the resident and family, ensuring their concerns are properly communicated to the nursing home staff and management.
Learn More: What You Need To Know About Nursing Home Ombudsmen
How Do You Contact Your Nursing Home Ombudsman?
Each state has a long-term care ombudsman program. Contact details for the ombudsman program in each state are listed below.
Alabama
Virginia Moore-Bell, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (334) 242-5753
Website: https://alabamaageline.gov/
Alaska
Stephanie Wheeler, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (907) 334-4483
Website: https://akoltco.org/
Arizona
Lisa Pollock, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (602) 542-6454
Website: https://des.az.gov/services/older-adults/long-term-care-ombudsman
Arkansas
Charlotte Sudmeyer, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (501) 508-8857
Website: https://www.arombudsman.com/
California
Blanca Castro, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (916) 419-7510
Website: https://aging.ca.gov/Programs_and_Services/Long-Term_Care_Ombudsman/
Colorado
Leah McMahon, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (303) 862-3524
Website: https://www.coombudsman.org/
Connecticut
Maired Painter, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (860) 424-5239
Website: https://portal.ct.gov/LTCOP
Delaware
Saundra Hale, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (302) 424-7363
District of Columbia
Mark Miller, District of Columbia State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (202) 434-2190
Website: https://states.aarp.org/washington-dc/?migration=rdrct&migration=rdrct
Florida
Terri Cantrell, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (888) 831-0404
Georgia
Melanie McNeil, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (404) 657-5327
Website: https://www.georgiaombudsman.org/
Guam
Tisha Sanchez, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (671) 737-7415
Hawaii
John G McDermott, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (808) 586-0100
Website: https://www.hi-ltc-ombudsman.org/
Idaho
Fanny Rodriguez-Melnikovsky, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (208) 577-2855
Website: https://aging.idaho.gov/stay-safe/ombudsman/
Illinois
Kelly Richards, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (312) 814-1203
Website: https://ilaging.illinois.gov/
Indiana
Lynn Clough, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (800) 622-4484
Website: https://www.in.gov/ombudsman/long-term-care-ombudsman/contact-information/
Iowa
Angela Van Pelt, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (515) 393-1710
Kansas
Camille Russell, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (785) 296-3017
Website: https://ombudsman.ks.gov/home
Kentucky
Sherry Culp, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (859) 277-9215
Website: https://ombuddy.org/
Louisiana
Rosa Walton, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (225) 342-7116
Website: https://www.goea.louisiana.gov/ombudsman
Maine
Brenda Gallant, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (207) 621-1079
Website: https://www.maineombudsman.org/
Maryland
Stevanne Ellis, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (410) 767-2161
Massachusetts
Carolyn Fenn, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (617) 222-7491
Website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/ombudsman-programs
Michigan
Salli Pung, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (517) 827-8025
Website: https://mltcop.org/
Minnesota
Cheryl Hennen, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (651) 431-2553
Website: https://mn.gov/ooltc/
Mississippi
Lisa Smith, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (601) 359-4927
Missouri
Jenny Hollandsworth, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (800) 309-3282
Website: https://health.mo.gov/seniors/ombudsman/
Montana
Carmen Sciabica, Interim Montana State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (406) 444-3285
Nebraska
Penny Clark, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (402) 802-5541
Website: https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Aging-Ombudsman.aspx
Nevada
Marie Coe, Interim State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (775) 687-0818
Website: https://adsd.nv.gov/
New Hampshire
Susan Buxton, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (603) 271-4704
Website: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/oltco/index.htm
New Jersey
Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (609) 826-5090
Website: https://www.nj.gov/ooie/
New Mexico
Carmen Bliss, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (505) 469-8357
New York
Claudette Royal, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (518) 408-1469
Website: https://aging.ny.gov/long-term-care-ombudsman-program?utm_medium=301&utm_source=www.ltcombudsman.ny.gov
North Carolina
Victor Orija, State Ombudsman
Phone: (919) 855-3426
North Dakota
Karla Blackman, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (701) 328-4617
Website: https://www.hhs.nd.gov/services/adultsaging/ombudsman.html
Ohio
Jacqueline DeGenova, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (614) 466-1221
Website: http://ombudsman.ohio.gov/
Oklahoma
William Whited, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (405) 521-6734
Website: http://www.okdhs.org/services/aging/Pages/ombudsman.aspx
Oregon
Fred Steele, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (800) 522-2602
Website: http://www.oregon.gov/LTCO/Pages/index.aspx
Pennsylvania
Margaret Barajas, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (717) 783-8975
Website: http://aging.pa.gov/
Puerto Rico
Yailene Salome, Interim State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (787) 721-6121
Rhode Island
Kathleen Heren, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (401) 785-3340
South Carolina
Dale Watson, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (803) 734-9900
Website: http://www.aging.sc.gov/
South Dakota
Donna Fischer, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (866) 854-5465
Website: https://dhs.sd.gov/ltss/ombudsman.aspx
Tennessee
Teresa Teeple, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (615) 253-5412
Texas
Patty Ducayet, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (512) 438-4356
Website: https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/news_info/ombudsman/
Utah
Alianne Sipes, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (801) 538-3924
Website: https://daas.utah.gov/long-term-care-ombudsman/
Vermont
Kaili Kuiper, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (802) 383-2227
Website: http://www.vtlegalaid.org/vermont-long-term-care-ombudsman/
Virginia
Joani Latimer, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (804) 726-6624
Website: http://www.elderrightsva.org/
Washington
Patricia Hunter, State Ombudsman
Phone: (800) 562-6028
Website: http://www.waombudsman.org/
West Virginia
Suzanne Messenger, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (304) 816-3151
Website: http://www.wvseniorservices.gov/
Wisconsin
Jessia Trudell, Executive Director and State Ombudsman
Phone: (608) 246-7018
Website: http://longtermcare.wi.gov/
Wyoming
Patricia Hall, State LTC Ombudsman
Phone: (307) 777-2885
Website: https://health.wyo.gov/admin/long-term-care-ombudsman-program/
Local Nursing Home Ombudsmen
Beyond the state ombudsman, you can also contact your local ombudsman. Contact details for each local ombudsman in each state can be found at this website. Simply select your state on the map and scroll down to find your local ombudsman.
More Information:
- Link to the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center: https://ltcombudsman.org/
- When Should You File a Nursing Home Complaint?
- Nursing Home Patient Rights: Understanding Your Protections