Patients’ Rights Advocates

Patients’ Rights Advocates represent individuals who are involuntarily detained on mental health holds and will meet with them in psychiatric hospitals within Shasta County. 

A Patients’ Rights Advocate: 

• Investigates and responds to grievances about inpatient mental health treatment. Grievances may come from individuals receiving treatment (both adults and minors), family, friends, or treatment providers. 
• Interviews and prepares individuals for their Certification Review Hearings. Hearings determine if the psychiatric hospital has sufficient cause to hold the individual without the individual’s consent. 
• Represents the expressed wishes of the individual at the Certification Review Hearings.
• Provides information about the legal rights of the individual while they are on an involuntary hold at inpatient psychiatric hospitals and emergency departments.
   

Additionally, a Patients’ Rights Advocate:

• Investigates grievances about licensed board and care facilities and unlicensed residential facilities. Patients’ Rights Advocates may also coordinate with the State of California Community Care Licensing and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for residential complaints.
• Responds to Long-Term Placement grievances by working directly with individuals living in Institutions of Mental Disease (IMDs). 
• Refers individuals to other agencies that may be of assistance.
• Provides training, presentations, and educational materials on patients’ rights and mental health law to individuals, providers and interested parties.

Individuals staying in licensed mental health facilities have the right to:

• Treatment services that are the least restrictive
• Dignity, privacy, and humane care
• Be free from harm
• Prompt medical treatment
• Religious freedom
• Education
• Social interaction
• Physical exercise and recreation
• Be free from seclusion and restraint unless behavior becomes dangerous to the individual or others
• See and receive the services of an advocate

The rights above are undeniable.

The rights below can be denied with good cause. Good cause is when exercising a right could cause injury, serious infringement to the rights of others or damage to the facility, and there is no less-restrictive alternative. Deniable rights include the right to:

• Wear one's own clothing
• Personal possessions
• Keep and spend money
• Reasonable access to individual storage space
• See visitors each day
• Reasonable access to the phone
• Access letter-writing materials
• Mail and to receive unopened mail

Under Welfare & Institutions Code 5118, all hearings are private and confidential unless the individual requests a public hearing. 

If the individual elects to have a public hearing, the meeting information below will be used to allow for the hearing to be open to the public. Recordings of these proceedings are prohibited under the California Rules of Court.

Hearings are held (subject to holiday closures): 

Mondays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. 
Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m.­

If an individual elects to have a public hearing, a virtual link will be posted here.