IR6 — How To Make A Complaint About Inpatient Mental Health Services

May, 1995

This handout tells you about the complaint process in state hospitals and state centers operated by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR). If you are receiving inpatient services in one of these facilities operated by TDMHMR and you think that your rights have been violated, there are several steps you can take to have your complaint investigated. If your native language is not English or if you are deaf, you have the right to request an interpreter throughout the complaint process. If you are not being provided with one, please contact Advocacy, Inc. for further assistance.

If you are receiving residential services in a facility not operated by TDMHMR, such as a private psychiatric hospital, nursing home, or board and care home, and you think that your rights have been violated, it is possible that not all the resources listed below would be available to you. If you are not in a facility operated by TDMHMR, and you think that your rights have been violated, you should call Advocacy, Inc. for further information and assistance.

Organizations and Procedures

There are a number of organizations and procedures inside and outside of the facility set up to protect your rights. A description of each, including an address and telephone number, begins on page two. They include:

The above-listed resources are described below with an explanation of the role each takes in resolving complaints. In cases other than abuse or neglect, we encourage you to make your complaint first to the facility or to TDMHMR. Complaints of abuse or neglect should be reported immediately to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services at 1-800-252- 5400. If you feel that you are not receiving a proper response to your complaint, you should contact Advocacy, Incorporated.

Whenever you make a complaint, you should try to put your complaint in writing. Even if you made your complaint by telephone, it is a good idea to follow-up with a written complaint. Information that you put in your complaint should include:

A. Texas Department Of Protective And Regulatory Services

The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (TDPRS) was created in 1992 to provide protective services to children, adults with disabilities, and elderly people. TDPRS investigates reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation in the community and in facilities operated by TDMHMR. Staff are located throughout the state and are on 24-hour call seven (7) days per week. You should report abuse, neglect, and exploitation immediately by calling 1-800-252-5400 (toll-free). If possible, you should follow-up the telephone call with a letter to:

Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
P. O. Box 149030 - Mail Code Y-940
Austin, Texas 78714-9030

B. Treatment Team

Your treatment team includes the psychiatrist, psychologist, case worker, nurse, a representative from the direct care staff (aide), and other representatives as necessary. Your treatment team is responsible for developing, with your participation, your individual treatment plan. Your treatment team also must review your treatment plan periodically. You can talk to your treatment team about your complaint during review of your treatment plan, or at any other time that you feel the need to. If your treatment team is not able to help you, you should ask to talk to the unit director. If you do not feel that you received a proper response, you should contact the facility's Rights Protection Officer.

C. Rights Protection Officer

The Rights Protection Officer is the staff member at each facility who is responsible for protecting the legal and human rights of clients receiving services from the facility. The duties of the Rights Protection Officer include:

You may make a complaint with the Rights Protection Officer, or someone may file it on your behalf. You may make it verbally or in writing, but we suggest you follow-up any verbal complaint with a written one. After a complaint is received, the Rights Protection Officer will arrange a meeting to talk with you about your problem and will explain what she can do for you. The Rights Protection Officer will discuss with you how the investigation will work.

After this meeting, the Rights Protection Officer will begin an investigation of your complaint. If the complaint is a valid one, the Rights Protection Officer may discuss it with the unit staff and work out a plan to correct the problem. You will be informed by the Rights Protection Officer of any action taken to correct the problem.

Attached to this handout is a list of the Rights Protection Officers for each TDMHMR facility or community MHMR center that provides services to persons with mental illness. If you do not feel that you received a proper response to your complaint from the facility's Rights Protection Officer, you can contact the TDMHMR Office of Consumer Services and Rights Protection in Austin.

D. TDMHMR Office Of Consumer Services And Rights Protection

The Office of Consumer Services and Rights Protection (OCSRP) is a division of TDMHMR responsible for reviewing all complaints about client rights in all facilities or programs operated or licensed by the TDMHMR. If you have a complaint about your rights in a TDMHMR facility that you feel the facility did not handle properly, you can make a complaint directly to the OCSRP. You may call this office toll free from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number is 1-800-252-8154 or (TDD) 1-800-538- 4870. You can also make your complaint in writing to:

Office of Consumer Services and Rights Protection
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
P. O. Box 12668, Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711-2668

It is the policy of the OCSRP to begin investigating all complaints that the office receives within 24 hours of receiving the complaint. In all cases, the OCSRP attempts to resolve each complaint within seven (7) working days of receiving the complaint.

Once your complaint has been received, the OCSRP will contact the facility to discuss your complaint with the appropriate staff person(s). The OCSRP may conduct an additional investigation, if there is a question about how your complaint was investigated by the facility. The OCSRP is required to inform you about their findings, either orally or in writing.

E. TDPRS Public Responsibility Committees

The Public Responsibility Committee (PRC) is a group of persons outside of the facility who provide their services on a voluntary basis and are not paid by the TDMHMR. There are PRCs for each state hospital, state center, and also for each community mental health center. The PRC's role is to help make sure that the legal rights of clients are protected. The duties of the PRCs include:

Attached to this handout is a list of the PRCs for each TDMHMR facility and community mental health center that provides services to persons with mental illness.

F. Texas Mental Health Consumers

Texas Mental Health Consumers (TMHC) is a consumer-run, statewide organization that educations consumers about their rights in the community and facilities, and assists them in ensuring their rights are protected. TMHC provides information and referral, mediation, and advocacy services to assist in a smooth transition from facilities. TMHC works with treatment issues, abuse and neglect, rights complaints, and discharge issues. TMHC encourages calls from family members, as well as consumers.

G. Advocacy, Incorporated

Advocacy, Inc. is the Protection and Advocacy System in Texas established to protect constitutional and statutory rights and investigate complaints of abuse and neglect of:

Advocacy, Inc. has limited funds and cannot respond to every complaint we receive. We have had to establish priorities for the types of complaints to which we will respond. Our priorities are based on what people in Texas tell us to be the most serious kinds of problems facing people receiving mental health services. We questioned many people, including mental health professionals, consumers of mental health services, families, state officials and others, about what problems are most serious.

Each of our offices has an intake unit which will receive your telephone call or letter. If your complaint does not concern an issue which we have established as a priority, we will refer you to someone outside of Advocacy, Inc. who may be able to assist you. If your complaint concerns a priority issue, the intake staff will present your complaint to Advocacy, Inc. staff assigned to work on cases involving persons with mental illness.

You can contact Advocacy, Inc. between the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling the regional office nearest you.

You may also contact Advocacy, Incorporated's main office in Austin, Monday-Friday, 12:30-5 p.m., toll-free at 1-800-252-9108.

State Hospital

Austin State Hospital
4110 Guadalupe
Austin, Texas 78751-4296
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Becky Mascott, Director, (512) 371-6798
Robert Daniel, Assistant, (512) 371-6755

Big Spring State Hospital
Hwy 87 North (79720)
P. O. Box 231
Big Spring, Texas 79721-0231
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
James Campbell, (915) 267-8216
Shelley Smith, PRO Comm. Services

Kerrville State Hospital
721 Thompson Drive
Kerrville, Texas 78028
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
James B. Horgan, M.A., (210) 896-2211
Marsha Perkins, Assistant

Rusk State Hospital
Hwy 69 North (75785)
P. O. Box 318
Rusk, Texas 75785-0318
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Margaret Speck, (903) 683-3421

Lana Rice, Assistant San Antonio State Hospital
6711 South New Braunfels (78223)
P. O. Box 23991, Highland Hill Sta.
San Antonio, Texas 78223-0991
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Stephanie Perotte, (210) 532- 8811
Doyle Woodman, Assistant

Terrell State Hospital
1200 East Brin (75160)
P. O. Box 70
Terrell, Texas 75160-0070
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Lyn Henderson, (214) 563-6452
Vickie Barnes, Assistant

Vernon State Hospital
4730 College Drive (76384)
P. O. Box 2231
Vernon, Texas 76385-2231
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Eric Shelton, (817) 552-9901
Donna Hager
Linda Burris, (817) 552-9901

Waco Center for Youth
3501 North 19th Street
Waco, Texas 76708
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Harlan Hill, (817) 756-2171

Wichita Falls State Hospital
6515 Lake Road (76308)
P. O. Box 300
Wichita Falls, Texas 76307- 0300
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Sheryl Burke, (817) 692-1220
Hugh Williams, Assistant, (817) 692- 1220, ext. 214

State Centers

Amarillo State Center
901 Wallace Boulevard (79106)
P. O. Box 3070
Amarillo, Texas 79116-3070
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Susan Kitchens, (806) 351-3206
Sharon Hendricks, (409) 833- 1485

Beaumont State Center
655 South 8th Street (77701)
P. O. Box 3846
Beaumont, Texas 77704-3846

El Paso State Center
6700 Delta Drive (79905)
P. O. Box 20019
El Paso, Texas 79998-0019
Toni White-Subia
(915) 779-0800
Ellen Dahlke
(915) 779-0800
Bernie Crawford, Comm. Serv. PRO
(915) 837-3373 or 837-3401

Laredo State Center
Cherry Hill Drive (78044)
P. O. Box 1835
Laredo, Texas 78044-1835
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Carlos Herrera, (210) 718-5452

Rio Grande State Center
1401 Rangerville Road (78550)
P. O. Box 2668
Harlingen, Texas 78551-2668
RIGHTS PROTECTION OFFICER:
Juan Gonzales, (210) 425-8900
Barbara Gwyn, Assistant

Abilene Regional MHMR Center
2616 South Clack, Suite 160
Abilene, Texas 79606
Charlene Davis, Director
(915) 690-5196
Ron French, Assistant
(915) 690-5123

Andrews Center
P. O. Box 473
(2323 West Front Street)
Tyler, Texas 75712
James Hartung, Director
(903) 597-1351
(903) 597-3175 (Fax)

Austin-Travis County MHMR Center
P. O. Box 3548 (1430 Collier)
Austin, Texas 78764-3648
Mary Murphy
(512) 440-4086

Central Counties Center for MHMR Services
P. O. Box 518 (304 South 22nd Street)
Temple, Texas 76501-4726
Bill Kneip
(817) 778-4841, ext. 337
(817) 770-0066 (FAX)

MHMR Services for Concho Valley
1501 West Beauregard
San Angelo, Texas 76901-4004
Barbara Wigfall
(915) 658-7750

Dallas County MHMR Center
1341 West Mockingbird Lane
Suite 1000E
Dallas, Texas 75247
Jim Moss, Director
Christi Wilson, Assistant
(214) 689-3718
(214) 630-3469 (Fax)

Deep East Texas Regional MHMR Services
4101 South Medford Drive
Lufkin, Texas 75901-5699
George Patterson
Nancy Jones, Assistant
(409) 639-1141
(409) 634-8601 (Fax)

Denton County MHMR Center
P. O. Box 2346 (2519 Scripture)
Denton, Texas 76202
Pam Gutierrez
Mathis Hale, Assistant
(817) 381-5000

Gulf Bend MHMHR Center
1404 Village Drive
Victoria, Texas 77901
Don Polzin
(512) 575-0611, ext. 213

The Gulf Coast Center
P. O. Box 2490
(123 Rosenberg, Suite 6)
Galveston, Texas 77553-2490
Renee Rain
(409) 763-2373
(409) 763-5538 (Fax)

MHMR Authority of Harris County
P. O. Box 25381 (2850 Fannin)
Houston, Texas 77265-5381
Bob Stakem, Director
Phil Lamier, Assistant
(713) 750-5611

Heart of Texas Region MHMR Center
P. O. Box 890 (110 South 12th Street)
Waco, Texas 76703-0890
Janet Kettler
(817) 752-3451, ext. 330
(817) 752-7421 (Fax)

Helen Farabee Center
P. O. Box 8266 (1000 Brook Street)
Wichita Falls, Texas 76307-08266
Randy Bilyew, Quality Assurance
Scott Boss
(817) 322-5136
(817) 766-4868 (Fax)

Hunt County Family Services Center
P. O. Box 1202 (4200 Stuart Street)
Greenville, Texas 75403-1202
Jerry Shannon
Cindy Womack, Assistant
(903) 455-3987

Johnson County MHMR Center
P. O. Box 196 (1601 North Anglin Street)
Cleburne, Texas 76033-0196
Su Sedgman
Kim Akers, Assistant
(817) 558-1211 or 556-6700

Life Management Center
P. O. Box 9997 (8929 Viscount)
El Paso, Texas 79990
Felix Gonzales
(915) 594-1140
(915) 590-6366 (Fax)

Life Resource Center
2750 South 8th Street
Beaumont, Texas 77701
Pat Satterwhite
(409) 838-6203, ext. 385
(409) 838-6172 (Fax)

Lubbock Regional MHMR Center
1210 Texas Avenue
Lubbock, Texas 79401-4088
Sue Harwell
(806) 766-0310

Navarro County MHMR Center
P. O. Box 1735 (920 North Main)
Corsicana, Texas 75110
Ruby Starcher
(903) 872-2491

Northeast Texas MHMR Center
P. O. Box 5637 (2719 Summerhill Road)
Texarkana, Texas 75505-5637
Argie Earnest
(903) 831-3646

Nueces County MHMR Comm. Center
1630 South Brownlee
Corpus Christi, Texas 78404-3178
Sheila Strutz
(512) 886-6960

Pecan Valley MHMR Region
P. O. Box 973 (650 West Green)
Stephenville, Texas 76401
Bill Peters
(817) 965-7806

Permian Basin Comm. Cntrs for MHMR
401 East Illinois
Midland, Texas 79701
Sharon Wesley
(915) 570-3333
(915) 570-3346 (Fax)

Riceland Regional MH Authority
P. O. Box 869 (3007 North Richmond)
Wharton, Texas 77488
Andrea Richardson
(409) 532-3098
(409) 532-0312 (Fax)

Sabine Valley Center
P. O. Box 6800 (107 Woodbine Place)
Longview, Texas 75608
Jessie Dunavan
(903) 758-2471
(903) 232-0237 (Pager)

Tarrant County MHMR Services
P. O. Box 2603
(3840 Hulen Tower North)
Fort Worth, Texas 76113
Paul Duncan, Director
Ann Henderson, CRO
(817) 735-3843
(817) 731-9887 (Fax)

Texas Panhandle MH Authority
P. O. Box 3250
(7120 IH-40-W
(Parkwest Building, Suite 150)
Amarillo, Texas 79116-3250
Randy Love
(806) 353-3699

MHMR Services of Texoma
203 Airport Drive
Denison, Texas 75020
Beth Kyle
(903) 786-2902

Tri-County MHMR Services
P. O. Box 3067
(1506 Old Montgomery Road)
Conroe, Texas 77305-3067
Jon Ryan
(409) 525-2533

Tropical Texas Center for MHMR
P. O. Drawer 1108
(1901 South 24th Street)
Edinburg, Texas 78539
Toni Reece, Director
(210) 383-0121

PRC Committee Addresses

Abilene Regional MHMR Center
2734 Woodlane Drive
Abilene, Texas 79606

Abilene State School
1436 Friar's Street
Abilene, Texas 79602

Amarillo State Center
3920 Linda Street
Amarillo, Texas 79209

Austin State Hospital
201 West 33rd Street
Austin, Texas 78705

Austin State School
Krsisner & Gladney
1200 San Anton
Austin, Texas 78701

Austin-Travis County MHMR Center
1316 Neans Drive
Austin, Texas 78758

Beaumont State Center
2170 Broadway
Beaumont, Texas 77701

Big Spring State Hospital
1207 Dixie
Big Spring, Texas 79720

Brenham State School
Route 6, Box 6470
Brenham, Texas 77833

Center for Health Care Services
1550 NE Loop 410, Suite 140
San Antonio, Texas 78209

Central Counties Center for MHMR
15 Oakmont Circle
Temple, Texas 76513

Central Plains Center for MHMR
301 Buffalo
Tulia, Texas 79088

Central Texas MHMR Center
Route 1, Box 528
Brownwood, Texas 76801

Collin County MHMR Center
2118 Chippendale
McKinney, Texas 75070

Corpus Christi State School
1701 Thames, #133
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412

Dallas County MHMR Center
5031 Waneta Street
Dallas, Texas 75209

Deep East Texas MHMR
102 Twilight Boulevard
Silsbee, Texas 77656

Denton County MHMR Center
517 Lake Vista North
Lewisville, Texas 75067

Denton State School
1812 Cordell
Denton, Texas 76201

El Paso State Center
9916 Burbon Street
El Paso, Texas 79924

Heart of Texas Region MHMR
Route 2, Box 318
Waco, Texas 76706

Helen Farabee Center
P. O. Box 1295
Wichita Falls, Texas 76307

Hunt County Family Services
Route 1, Box 481
Lone Oak, Texas 75453

Johnson County MHMR Center
3600 Trails End Road
Burleson, Texas 76028
or P. O. Box 705
Alvarado, Texas 76009

Kerrville State Hospital
406 Meadow Ridge Drive
Kerrville, Texas 78028

Laredo State Center
636 Allende
Laredo, Texas 78041

Life Management Center
P. O. Box 9997
El Paso, Texas 79990

Life Resource
2309 Manely Circle
Orange, Texas 77630

Lubbock Regional MHMR Center
P. O. Box 2000
Lubbock, Texas 79414

Lubbock State School
P. O. Box 10854
Lubbock, Texas 79408

Lufkin State School
Route 2, Box 1962
Lufkin, Texas 75901

Mexia State School
901 Mesquite
Mexia, Texas 76667

MHMR Authority of Brazos County
200 Green Prairie Road
College Station, Texas 77840

MHMR Authority of Harris County
6927 River Bluff Drive
Houston, Texas 77085

MHMR Services of Texoma
P. O. Box 1251
Gainesville, Texas 76240

MHMR Services Concho Valley
3102 Briargrove Lane
San Angelo, Texas 76904

MHMR Services of Concho Valley
1501 West Beauregard
San Angelo, Texas 76901

Navarro County MHMR Center
1708 North 26th Street
Corsicana, Texas 75110

Northeast Texas MHMR Center
1708 Plantevigne
Texarkana, Texas 75501

Nueces County MHMR Center
P. O. Box 181200
Corpus Christi, Texas 78480-1200

Pecan Valley MHMR Region
1402 Prairie Wind
Stephenville, Texas 76401

Permian Basin Community Centers
4415 Northcrest, #1718
Midland, Texas 79707

Riceland Regional MHA
P. O. Box 808
East Bernard, Texas 77435

Richmond State School
4322 Silverwood
Houston, Texas 77035

Rio Grande State Center
Route 1, Box 95
Harlingen, Texas 78550

Rusk State Hospital
Route 5, Box 34
Rusk, Texas 78785

Sabine Valley Regional MHMR Center
1604 Antioch
Carthage, Texas 75633

San Angelo State School
3009 Red Bluff Road
San Angelo, Texas 76904

San Antonio State Hospital
4122 Winesap
San Antonio, Texas 78222

San Antonio State School
3203 Bent Bow Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78209

Tarrant County MHMR Services
125 Williamsburg Lane
Fort Worth, Texas 76107

Terrell State Hospital
P. O. Box 10
Terrell, Texas 75160-0010

Texas Panhandle MHA
20 Nottingham
Amarillo, Texas 78209

The Gulf Coast Center
1318 Rhodora Drive
La Marque, Texas 77577

Tri-County MHMR Center
504 West Lewis
Conroe, Texas 77801

Tropical Texas Center for MHMR
P. O. Box 1365
Edinburg, Texas 78540

Tropical Texas Center for MHMR
601 West Sesame
Harlingen, Texas 78550

Vernon State Hospital
3209 Indian Street
Vernon, Texas 76384

Waco Center for Youth
Route 5, Box 258-A
Gatesville, Texas 76528

Wichita Falls State Hospital
4510 Tobago
Wichita Falls, Texas 76308

Advocacy, Incorporated's goal is to make each handout understandable by and useful to the general public. If you have suggestions on how this handout can be improved, please contact Advocacy, Inc. at the address and telephone number shown on Advocacy's home page or e-mail Advocacy, Inc. at infoai@advocacyinc.org. Thank you for your assistance. This handout is available in Braille and/or on audio tape upon request. Advocacy, Inc. strives to update its materials on an annual basis, and this handout is based upon the law at the time it was written. The law changes frequently and is subject to various interpretations by different courts. Future changes in the law may make some information in this handout inaccurate. The handout is not intended to and does not replace an attorney's advice or assistance based on your particular situation.