AG 2009 03 16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION TO APPOINTMENTS ITEM H-1 Chairman H. Jay White Sr. Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners PO Box 707 Concord, NC 28026 Dear Chairman White, I am writing in response to the resignation letter of Ms. Barbara Blackmore, who served Cabarrus County faithfully for several years as a member of both the Adult Care Home and Nursing Home Community Advisory Committees. Ms. Blackmore's letter includes a suggestion to require appointees to the County's Community Advisory Committees (CACs) "be trained by the Ombudsman locally and not require the appointee to drive to Charlotte for two days in a row for initial training." I wanted to respond to this suggestion to assure the Commission that the Centralina Regional Ombudsman Program has, in the past, considered this possibility, but found this alternative had drawbacks as well. Over the years the Ombudsman Program has tried numerous methods to train new appointees across our nine-county region most effectively, while at the same time utilizing the resources of our staff most efficiently. As the Ombudsman serving Cabarrus County, I remain open to ideas and suggestions regarding how the Ombudsman Program can best meet the needs of the long-term care residents in Cabarrus County, and, by extension, meet the Ombudsman Program's responsibility to provide the individuals serving on the CACs with the initial and ongoing training they need to carry out their committee responsibilities. I have listed below more information that may be useful: • The required orientation training for new CAC volunteers is conducted by two Regional Ombudsman and takes place the first Friday and Saturday of February, March, May, June, August, September, November, and December. • Before the orientation class, trainees are mailed a packet of information including a map and detailed directions to the training site. • Ombudsman staff help coordinate transportation to the training site for individuals who express a concern about driving to Charlotte, or for those who indicate a desire to carpool. This may include the Ombudsman offering a ride to the training site, or pairing up two trainees to ride together. • Once the volunteer has complete the orientation, all other required CAC activities, including our Quarterly Training, is conducted in a location amenable to the committee members. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you at any time should you have questions or need any additional information. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely, LI~.tA.Y'il~i~ ~ Laurie Abounader, Regional Ombudsman Midtoil%~~ Plaza Bt~ildii7g - 1300 Baxter Street, Suite 450 PO Box 35008, Charlotte, North Ca~roli»a 2823 Phone: 704-372-2416 Fax: 704-347-4710 H-1