The Ombuds Blog: CDC Ombuds Become Focus of Sen. Grassley's Ire

March 23, 2007

CDC Ombuds Become Focus of Sen. Grassley's Ire

On March 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined a request by Sen. Charles Grassley for a briefing by the agency's new ombuds. In an angry letter sent yesterday, Grassley lectured CDC Director Julie Gerberding on federal laws against interfering with a congressional inquiry and questioned why the ombuds would brief her, but not Congress. CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said Friday it was the decision of the ombudsmen — not Gerberding — to refuse Grassley's request for a briefing. (Atlanta Journal Constitution; prior Ombuds Blog posts: Sen. Grassley Seeks More Info From CDC Ombuds; CDC Ombuds Issue First Report.)

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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March 23, 2007

CDC Ombuds Become Focus of Sen. Grassley's Ire

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