6 October 2005

Governor announces expanded help for adult home care residents
Several long-term care ombudsmen added throughout Kansas

Residents of adult care homes and their families will have more advocates available to assist them, Governor Kathleen Sebelius said today. The Governor announced that the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman has opened offices in Pittsburg, Dodge City and Hays.

“Residents of adult care homes and their families deserve to have people on their side who are working to make sure their needs are met,” said Governor Sebelius. “By expanding access to advocates, we are demonstrating our commitment to some of the most valued and vulnerable citizens of our state.”

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman is devoted solely to advocating for the needs of long-term care residents and their families. Currently, ombudsmen staff are located in Topeka, Overland Park, Great Bend and Wichita.

In addition to staff, the ombudsman program relies heavily on the services of volunteers. During the past year, new volunteer ombudsmen have been trained in Topeka, Wichita, Emporia, Newton and Lawrence. As a result, the number of volunteer ombudsmen grew from 68 a year ago to 118 currently. At the present time, the program is training 65 volunteers for placement in Wyandotte, Johnson and Miami counties.

“We simply could not exist without the dedication and compassion of our volunteers and staff,” said State Ombudsman Kathy Greenlee. “We applaud the Governor for working to expand our reach so we can serve more Kansans.”

The three new regional ombudsmen are Gina Johnston, Pittsburg; Jan Scoggins-Waite, Dodge City; and Velvet Johnson, Hays. Next spring, the ombudsman program will recruit and train volunteers in northwest, southwest and southeast Kansas. “The ombudsman program represents public service at its finest, and I encourage anyone who might be interested in being a volunteer ombudsman to contact their local office, or the Topeka headquarters,” said Sebelius.

Ombudsman staff and volunteers can be reached toll-free at 1-877-662-8362.