Mental health advocacy.

Existing law requires the State Department of State Hospitals and the State Department of Health Care Services to contract with a single nonprofit entity to provide for the protection and advocacy services to persons with mental disabilities, as specified. Existing law requires each local mental health director to appoint, or contract for the services of, one or more county patients' rights advocates. Existing law requires these advocates to, among other things, monitor mental health facilities, services, and programs, as defined, for compliance with statutory and regulatory patients' rights provisions, and receive and investigate certain complaints from or concerning recipients of mental health services residing in licensed health or community care facilities. Existing law authorizes a mental health client, as defined, to enter into an agreement with a county patients' rights advocate for the provision of advocacy services. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to these provisions.