From Melanie McNeil, Esq., State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

 

First and foremost, staff of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman hope you are safe and well.

During this unprecedented time, please know that the Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program remains committed to our mission to advocate for quality of care and quality of life for long-term care residents. We continue to be available to residents, families, facility staff, the general public and others. 

Based on CDC guidelines and Governor Kemp’s executive orders, we have temporarily suspended in-person visits in long-term care facilities. You may still reach us by telephone, e-mail, or at our web site www.georgiaombudsman.org.  We will do our best to investigate and resolve complaints to the resident’s satisfaction by carrying out the necessary activities by telephone or e-mail, as appropriate. 

With orders restricting gatherings, we are not able to participate in community education events, resident council and family council meetings, or other in-person gatherings.  We are still available to provide information either by conference calls or by sending materials to groups that request them.

We are all learning new ways to communicate and stay connected.  Thank you so much for your continued support during these challenging times!

Please call us with any questions or concerns you may have by calling 1-866-552-4464 option 5 for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program or send us information securely at www.georgiaombudsman.org.

 

COVID-19 information and guidance can be found below:

Georgia Governor’s COVID-19 website:

https://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2020-04-10/long-term-care-facility-covid-19-report

Georgia Department of Public Health COVID 19 status update

https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report

CDC – Corona Virus and long-term care

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/long-term-care.html