Our Story • Vision Born 2009 • Licensed Comprehensive (#15-2310) Since Jan 2016
We Didn't Just Meet Oregon's Highest Clinical Standard—We Earned a Doctorate to Master It.
A family-owned home care agency in Portland, Oregon.
Many home care agencies are started by business investors who hire a part-time nurse on paper just to pass state rules. Essential Quality Care LLC (EQC Home Care) was built the hard way: by going back to school to earn the clinical credentials our Portland community deserved.
Our story
Our 4-Step Journey to Clinical Excellence
From a 2009 Vision to Over a Decade of Licensed Comprehensive Care
Every healthcare team has a moment that proves what it truly stands for. For EQC Home Care, that test came right at the beginning.
- September 2009 — The Vision & The Wake-Up Call: When we first registered Essential Quality Care in Portland in September 2009, we wanted to help local seniors live safely at home. As we navigated Oregon’s strict healthcare laws, state regulators made it clear that providing the clinical care families needed required formal medical credentials we did not yet have. We had a choice: walk away, offer only basic non-medical errands, or go earn the clinical education required to do it right.
- 2010–2014 — Four Years of Doctoral Pharmacy Training (PharmD): We chose to rise to the standard. Our founder enrolled in pharmacy school and earned his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) in 2014. Those four years of clinical training showed us how often medicine mix-ups, dizziness from overlapping pills, and confusing hospital discharges send seniors back to the emergency room.
- 2015–January 2016 — Earning OHA Comprehensive License #15-2310: With a licensed Pharmacist leading our operations alongside a dedicated team of Registered Nurses (RNs), we reapplied to the state in 2015 for Oregon’s highest tier of home care licensure. In January 2016, the Oregon Health Authority awarded EQC Home Care Comprehensive In-Home Care License #15-2310—allowing us to provide Personal Care, RN Medicine Management, and Skilled Nursing all in one place.
- 2016–Today — Over 10 Years of Proven Care Across Greater Portland: For more than a decade as a state-licensed Comprehensive agency, we have helped families across Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties keep loved ones with complex, stable, and predictable health needs safe and comfortable at home.
How Our Pharmacist + Nurse Team Protects You
Where Pharmacy Precision Meets Nursing Heart
- Pharmacist-Designed Medicine Safety (PharmD): Medicine mistakes are one of the top reasons older adults end up in the hospital. Our medicine checklists, caregiver training, and daily tracking charts are built with a pharmacist’s eye for safety.
- Hands-On Registered Nurse Oversight (RN): Our Registered Nurses lead every health assessment, write every care plan, and personally train caregivers on specialized medical tasks.
- Trusted EQC Employee Caregivers: We never send unvetted independent contractors to your door. Every caregiver is a W-2 employee of EQC—background-checked, trained by our nurses, and supported 24/7.
Family-owned and operated · Portland, Oregon
Licensed by the Oregon Health Authority as an in-home care agency (Comprehensive class), license 15-2310. Check OHA’s list of licensed agencies (opens in a new tab)
Our office is at 7133 N Lombard St in the St. Johns neighborhood of North Portland, and we provide care in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, Oregon. Call to confirm availability for your service and address. Our service area
Dr. Francis Djorgee, PharmD, RPh
Co-Founder · Owner
Co-founded EQC after caring for his own family members — and holds every service to the standard he’d want for them.
Vida Djorgee
Co-Founder · Owner
Co-founded EQC with a personal commitment to helping families explore care at home.
Our mission
Care with the person at its heart
In every interaction we want our patient to feel cared for, and to get the care that their unique situation demands.
Our approach
Listen. Understand. Work together.
We start with the individual’s priorities and everyday routines, talk through the support being explored, involve the people who matter and agree on the next steps together.
Our values
What we bring into every home
With every interaction, we want the people we support to feel cared for and to get the care their situation calls for.
Care
We care for your loved ones as though they are members of our own family.
Harmony
We work hand in hand with families, providers, and caseworkers to deliver on our promise.
Loyalty
We remain true to our promise of care and integrity with every client, family, and agency.
Prudence
We use our resources wisely to sustain our promise to clients and their families.
Excellence
We invest in our people and aim to provide thoughtful care in all that we do.
Our services
Explore EQC’s services
Not sure which one fits? That’s what the first call is for. Contact EQC to talk it through.
Get to know us
A good introduction starts with a conversation. Call our main office, or request a call and our team will get back to you.