The DD Ombuds is not the only Ombuds program in Washington State. There is also the Long Term Care Ombuds; Education Ombuds; Behavioral Health Ombuds; Family and Children Ombuds; and Department of Corrections Ombuds. Sometimes, a person may benefit from working with multiple Ombuds programs in order to get an issue they are experiencing solved. For that reason, it is important that all the Ombuds programs know about each other and are familiar with the services each program provides.
Over the past several months, the DD Ombuds has met with staff from the Education Ombuds, Family and Children’s Ombuds; Long Term Care Ombuds; and Behavioral Health Ombuds. These Ombuds staff got together to start conversations about how to work with each other effectively. The DD Ombuds is working on building strong relationships with each program and plans to continue to meet with each program moving forward.