Office of Recipient Rights

The Northern Lakes CMH Authority Office Of Recipient Rights (ORR)

Under the authority of the Mental Health Code, the Northern Lakes Office of Recipient Rights directly provides, coordinates, and advocates for the protection of the rights of individuals receiving mental health services.

ORR Vision: Recipients’ rights for all people served are valued and protected.

ORR Mission: Effective advocacy and support for recipients’ rights through prevention, education, training, and complaint resolution.

ORR Values: The protection and promotion of recipient rights is a crucial component of an effective service delivery system and together, we all share responsibility for its success.

A commitment to promoting, protecting, preserving, and respecting the rights of all persons served.
Ensure that concerns and complaints are addressed in a fair and timely manner.
The rights system supports recovery and wellness, enhances quality of life, and promotes health and safety.

Contact the Office of Recipient Rights
105 Hall Street, Suite A Traverse City, MI 49684

Brian Newcomb, Director of the Office of Recipient Rights

To reach the Office of Recipient Rights, please call please call (231) 876-3212.
Or Toll Free: 1-800-337-8598 or TTY: 711.
(Ask for the rights office)

The Office Of Recipient Rights…

Answers your questions about your rights as a recipient and as a citizen.
Trains and acts as a consultant to employees, volunteers, and consumers of Northern Lakes Community Mental Health and its contracted providers to prevent violations of rights.
Monitors the Community Mental Health system to assure compliance with rights standards.

Assists recipients, guardians, parents of minor recipients, and others in filing a Recipient Rights complaint.
Receives complaints of allegations of violations of rights protected by the Mental Health Code from recipients or persons acting on their behalf.
Intervenes or investigates in response, working to resolve the complaint.

Makes a determination of whether a violation of rights has occurred and makes recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer.
Assures that remedial action occurs in the event rights are violated.
Assists complainants, recipients, guardians, and parents of minor recipients in appealing the results of a Recipient Rights complaint investigation.

Your Rights When You Receive Community Mental Health Services

You have rights when you receive mental health services from Northern Lakes Community Mental Health or from its contracted providers. These rights are guaranteed by the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Michigan, by Michigan’s Mental Health Code, Act 258 of 1974 as amended, by the Michigan Department of Community Health’s Administrative Rules, and by other federal and by other Federal and State laws and regulations.

You can expect your rights to be explained to you in a way you can understand both at the time you apply for services and periodically through the Person-Centered Planning Process. You should also receive a written summary of your rights. If you have questions about your rights, ask someone to explain them to you or contact the Office of Recipient Rights.

Lady justice, themis, statue of justice on sky background

Summary of Some of Your Rights

Here is a summary of some of your rights:

To request a second opinion if you are denied a request for mental health services.
To not be denied services based on your ability to pay.
To be treated with dignity and respect.
To a safe, sanitary, and humane treatment environment.
To be free from discrimination, and to reasonable accommodations based on your disability.
To be presumed competent unless a court has appointed a guardian.
To have your choices, preferences, and belief system honored and to have friends and others involved in your services as you may choose.
To be an active partner in the development of your Person Centered Plan.
To have your Person-Centered Plan developed in a timely manner and to receive a copy.
To be informed of what will or may happen and to voluntarily agree to the services you receive.
To receive services consistent with clinical standards of care and suited to your individual needs and in the least restrictive setting.
To receive notice of your progress.
To have access to your record.
To refuse to be photographed, audiotaped, or videotaped.
To freedom from abuse, neglect, threats, insults, or harassment.
To have information about you held confidential and not disclosed without your permission.
To expect your rights to not be limited unless allowed by law or by a court order.
To be protected from rights violations while you receive services.
To file a Recipient Rights Complaint and expect a timely response.

Your Responsibilities When You Receive Community Mental Health Services

Rights and responsibilities go together. Using our rights also means taking responsibility for our own lives. As a consumer of mental health services you are responsible:

To be an active participant in your treatment.
To ask questions if you don’t understand.
To do as much as possible to identify and meet your own needs.
To respect the rights of others, including their health, safety, privacy, property, personal space, and beliefs.
To pay for the cost of treatment based on your ability to pay.
To keep appointments as scheduled, or phone in advance to cancel.
To share with staff your experience of our services, what we do well, and what we could do better
To complain to the appropriate parties if you are dissatisfied.

advocate and person served shaking hands

How To File a Recipient Rights Complaint Or Report a Violation

If you believe your rights have been violated, you, or someone on your behalf, can file a Recipient Rights Complaint with the Office of Recipient Rights. A complaint can be made in person, by mail, or by telephone. Recipient Rights Complaint Forms are available at all Northern Lakes CMH Authority service sites or you can download below.

Recipient Rights Links/Documents

Your Rights When You File A Recipient Rights Complaint

When you file a Recipient Rights Complaint, you will receive a written acknowledgment letting you know whether your complaint will be investigated or if it is out of the jurisdiction of the Office of Recipient Rights or if it does not involve a right protected by the Michigan Mental Health Code. In any, case rights office staff will try to help you find resolution to your problem or refer you to other agencies or resources that may be able to help you.

A complainant is entitled to a timely response to a rights complaint. An intervention may be conducted within thirty days if the facts are clear and a resolution easily obtainable. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the intervention or if it is determined that further inquiry is warranted, an investigation will commence. If the investigation is not completed within thirty days from the date your complaint was received, the Office of Recipient Rights will send you a Status Report on the progress of the investigation to date, and another status report at sixty days, if necessary. At the conclusion of the investigation, within 90 days, a report of investigative findings will be sent to the Northern Lakes CMH Authority Chief Executive Officer and to the respondent (the provider that was responsible at the time of the alleged violation), if different. You will then receive, within ten days, a Summary Report of the investigation, the decision to substantiate or to not substantiate the allegation(s), and the remedial action(s) taken or planned in response. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaint, no later than 45 days after receipt of the Summary Report from the Chief Executive Officer, a complainant, recipient, or the guardian of a recipient may file a written appeal with the Northern Lakes CMH Authority Recipient Rights Appeals Committee. Appeals may be heard on grounds that the Investigative Findings were not consistent with facts or regulations, that the action taken does not provide an adequate remedy, or that the investigation was not timely.