Team NEOMED,
You are invited to download and review the first annual report of the Office of the Ombuds.
In support of systems change, a major function of my role as the Ombuds is to periodically present reports summarizing activities and problem areas identified through the course of my work in helping students, faculty, and staff as an informal alternative dispute resolution practitioner. In this report, you will see highlights of my activities during the course of a fourteen month period, beginning with the establishment of the office on Oct. 27, 2014 and ending on Dec. 31, 2015.
Also highlighted, is summarized data of visitor usage and issues presented by individual members of the NEOMED community. The summarized data has been carefully collected and reported in a way to safeguard the anonymity of visitors/service users as well as their confidential communications.
In a larger institution, data collected and reported by an Ombuds’ office might also include such information as visitors’ race, gender, and department. It might also include redacted narrative examples of how the Ombuds helped in specific cases. However, doing so at NEOMED, a smaller institution, could jeopardize confidentiality; and, an Ombuds’ attention to safeguarding confidentiality is paramount. Protecting identities and confidential communications is critical to the Ombuds not only earning, but maintaining trust and credibility.
In 2016, I transitioned from a .75 ombuds to a full time ombuds. I look forward to dedicating more time towards outreach, system wide collaborations, and aiding students, faculty, and staff through the services offered.
I hope that you find this report both informative, as well as assuring in the usefulness of the Office of the Ombuds.
Sincerely,
Angela E. Dash
Director, Ombuds
Northeast Ohio Medical University