Office of Patients’ Rights
Each county Mental Health Director is required to provide Patients’ Rights Advocacy Services in response to California legislation (WIC 55200) to appoint patient rights advocates to protect and further the Constitutional and statutory rights of people receiving mental health services.
Our mission and function for San Bernardino County Patients’ Rights Advocates is to protect the legal, civil and human rights of all behavioral health consumers in our County.
Our goal is achieved by:
- Supporting the patients’ expressed needs
- Rigorous monitoring of our LPS Facilities and Locked Residential Facilities
- Providing Patients’ Rights training to behavioral health providers
- Advocating and promoting the treatment of patients with dignity and respect
What We Do:
- We listen, response, Investigate and resolve complaints/ grievances from our consumers with an open mind
- We represent our patients at legal and certification review hearings
- We connect our consumers/patients with resources and mental health services
- We educate our consumers/patients on their rights so they develop self-advocacy tools
- We advocate for our consumers/patients’ when they need their voice heard
- We monitor LPS-designated facilities to ensure compliance with patients’ rights law, regulations and policies
- We partners with our collaborative facilities by providing technical support and in-service training to their staff
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Patients’ Rights Team:
Mariam Aldaz – Chief Patients’ Rights Advocate
Dr. Jeramy Sanquist – Advocate
Sally Mitchell – Advocate
Jose Orrostieta – Advocate
Contact Us:
San Bernardino County Behavioral Health
Patients’ Rights Office
850 E. Foothill Blvd.
Rialto, CA 92376
Phone: 909-421-4657
Toll Free: 800-440-2391
Fax: 909-421-9258
A grievance is an oral or written expression of your dissatisfaction to inpatient and outpatient patients’ rights matters as referenced in the Patients’ Rights posters. Patients can submit a grievance over the phone or in writing.
To submit a verbal Patients’ Rights grievance, call (800) 440-2391. To submit a written Patients’ Rights grievance, complete a Patients’ Rights Grievance form located in a provider or clinic lobby or download the form here, and mail OR email the completed form to:
Patients’ Rights Office
850 E. Foothill Blvd.
Rialto, CA 92376
DBHPatientRightsOffi@dbh.sbcounty.gov
Grievances will be addressed within 24 hours by phone or letter. For additional questions, call (909) 421-4657.