Nondiscrimination notice

Discrimination is against the law

Essential Quality Care, LLC (EQC Home Care) complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. EQC does not exclude people or treat them less favorably because of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.

Free help to communicate with us

EQC:

• Provides people with disabilities reasonable modifications and appropriate auxiliary aids and services, free of charge and in a timely manner, to communicate effectively with us, such as qualified sign language interpreters and written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats and other formats).
• Provides language assistance services, free of charge and in a timely manner, to people whose primary language is not English, which may include qualified interpreters (oral interpretation) and electronic and written translated documents.

If you need reasonable modifications, appropriate auxiliary aids and services, or language assistance services, call the main office at (503) 753-8551 or email info@eqchomecare.com. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, you can reach us through a relay service by dialing 711.

How to file a grievance with EQC

If you believe that EQC has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex, you can file a grievance with EQC’s Section 1557 Coordinator, Vida Djorgee, in person or by mail, email or phone:

• Mail or in person: Vida Djorgee, Essential Quality Care, 7133 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203
• Email: info@eqchomecare.com (attention: Vida Djorgee)
• Phone: (503) 753-8551

If you need help filing a grievance, Vida Djorgee is available to help you.

Grievance procedure

• File your grievance within 60 days of the date you became aware of the action you believe was discriminatory.
• A grievance should generally be in writing and include your name and contact information, what happened and the basis (or bases) of discrimination, the date you file it, and any other information that helps explain it. If you can’t put it in writing, contact the coordinator, who will help you.
• The coordinator, or someone the coordinator designates, investigates the grievance. The investigation may be informal, but it will be thorough, and everyone involved may submit evidence relevant to the grievance.
• You have the right to reasonable modifications of this procedure if you need them.
• EQC will send you a written decision no later than 30 days after you file the grievance.
• You may appeal the decision by writing to EQC’s main office within 15 days of receiving it.
• EQC keeps the identity of the person who files a grievance confidential, except as the law requires or as needed to investigate it, and keeps grievance records for at least three years after the grievance is resolved.
• Using this procedure doesn’t prevent you from filing a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights or using any other legal remedy.

How to file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)

Complaint forms are available at https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html.

This notice is available on our website at https://eqchomecare.com/nondiscrimination/.

Language assistance

ATTENTION: If you speak a language other than English, free language assistance services are available to you. Appropriate auxiliary aids and services to provide information in accessible formats are also available free of charge. Call 1-503-753-8551 (TTY: 711) or speak to your provider.