A. The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is authorized and directed to establish the Office of Consumer Advocacy within the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and to employ such personnel as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. The Office of Consumer Advocacy shall have access to facilities operated by, subject to certification by or under contract with the Department and the records of such facilities, including but not limited to, records of individuals receiving services. Records that are confidential under state and federal law shall be maintained as confidential and not be redisclosed.
B. The Advocate General and the staff of the Office of Consumer Advocacy shall not act as attorneys on behalf of individuals receiving services from facilities operated by, subject to certification by or under contract with the Department, except that they shall have the authority to file habeas corpus actions on behalf of such individuals and appear on their behalf in civil commitment and criminal post-commitment proceedings, and also appear on behalf of Department consumers in proceedings for writs of mandamus.
C. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this section and as otherwise provided by state or federal laws, the information, records, materials and reports related to investigations by the Office of Consumer Advocacy are confidential and contain privileged information. Accordingly, such records, materials and reports shall not be open to public inspection nor their contents disclosed, nor shall a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum purporting to compel disclosure of such information be valid. An order of the court authorizing the inspection, release or disclosure of information, records, materials and reports related to investigations by the Office of Consumer Advocacy shall be entered by a court only after a review of the records and a determination, with due regard for the confidentiality of the information and records and the privilege of the persons identified in the records, that a compelling reason exists, any applicable privilege has been waived and such inspection, release or disclosure is necessary for the protection of a legitimate public or private interest.
Added by Laws 2002, c. 488, § 8, eff. Nov. 1, 2002. Amended by Laws 2004, c. 113, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 2004; Laws 2005, c. 195, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2010, c. 287, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2010.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.