Reporting Health or Safety Concerns
What to report:
It is important to report any suspicions that a person with a developmental disability is being mistreated. These reports include suspected abuse, neglect or other major unusual incidents (MUIs).
What is abuse?
Abuse can occur in many forms:
- Physical abuse is one person causing physical harm to another.
- Sexual abuse is unwanted touching and non-consensual sexual acts.
- Verbal abuse is using words or gestures to threaten, coerce, intimidate, harass or humiliate another individual.
- Violation of Rights is any incident where basic rights are ignored in a way that risks health and safety.
- Misappropriation is depriving, defrauding or otherwise obtaining the property of another person.
- Exploitation is improperly using a person’s money or belongings for benefit, profit or gain.
What is neglect?
Neglect is failing to provide treatment, care, goods, supervision, or services necessary to maintain health and safety.
What is an MUI?
Major unusual incident (MUI) includes both abuse and neglect, and means the alleged, suspected, or actual occurrence of an incident when there is reason to believe the health or welfare of a developmentally disabled individual may be adversely affected or that they may be placed at a likely risk of harm.
To read more on MUIs and the reporting system, download DODD's MUI /UI Fact Sheet in PDF form.
How to report:
If you see a health and/or safety concern and would like to report it to us, please follow this procedure:
- IF SOMEONE IS IN IMMEDIATE DANGER, CALL 911.
- If the person is not in immediate danger, you may call us at 740-775-7044, fax us at 740-775-7236, or email us at ir@rossdd.org. NOTE - please do not send protected health information via email unless it is encrypted!
- Office hours are 8:30AM to 4:30PM Monday-Friday. After hours call 740-775-7044, you will reach the Crisis Center. Ask the person answering to have the Service and Support Administrator (SSA) on call to contact you.
- If the victim of abuse or neglect is a child (under age 22), call the South Central Ohio Job and Family Services – Children’s Division at 855-642-4453. Then call our office at 740-775-7044.
- You can also contact the Ohio Department of DD through their hotline (866-313-6733) if there are concerns or difficulties in reporting to the county board of DD.
For more information:
If you have questions about MUI or any other health or safety concern, please contact Laura K. Martin at 740-775-7044, ext 204, or lkmartin@rossdd.org.