WHEREAS, the City and County of San Francisco has approximately 100,000 Medi-Cal recipients and eligibles, with a disproportionately high number of frail elderly, disabled, and immigrant populations; and,

WHEREAS, there is a need for health care consumers to access services through the many complex and changing systems of care; and,

WHEREAS, an ombudsprogram could provide consumer education, outreach, and culturally and linguistically sensitive assistance, and would support the goal of achieving universal health care in the City and County of San Francisco; and,

WHEREAS, there is support for an ombudsprogram from advocacy groups from the legal, labor, children and youth, consumers, and health care communities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Health Commission and Department of Public Health support the concept of a City and County ombudsprogram to advocate for health care consumers; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission and Department of Public Health encourages minimizing duplication of existing ombudsprogram services for health in the City and County of San Francisco.

I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Health Commission at its meeting of Tuesday, March 17, 1998.