NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION
BridgingLife proudly states that no person shall, on the
grounds of race, creed, color, religion, sex,
national/ethnic origin, ancestry, sexual preference,
age, mental or physical handicap, social status,
political beliefs, or ability to pay, be excluded from
participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subject
to discrimination or harassment in the provision of any
care or service, referral for any care or service, or
employment. Further, reasonable accommodation is to be
made for employees with mental or physical handicap.
BridgingLife provides aids and services to people with
disabilities at no charge to the patient and in a timely
manner. Language assistance, including translated
documents and oral interpreter services, will also be
provided in a timely manner and at no charge to the
patient. If you or your loved one needs aids and
services, contact your nurse case manager at 410-871-8000.
If you believe that BridgingLife has failed to provide
these services or has discriminated in another way, you
may file a grievance in person or by mail, phone or fax
using the contact information listed below. If you need
help filing a grievance, or if you would like more
information about the BridgingLife grievance
procedure, please contact the Assistant Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Services.
Regina Bodnar, AVP Hospice and Palliative Care Services,
BridgingLife
292 Stoner Avenue, Westminster, MD 21157
Phone: 410-871-8000
Fax: 410-871-7242
TTY: 410-871-7186
You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Office for
Civil Rights, through an electronic portal, at
https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/
ocr/portal/lobby.jsf,
by mail or by phone using the contact information below.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1-800-386-1019 (toll free) or
800-537-7697 (TDD)
Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/
office/file/index.html.
PA Residents: If you are a patient of BridgingLife who
resides in the state of Pennsylvania, and you believe
that you have experienced illegal discrimination, you
have the right to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania
Human Relations Commission, and the PA Human Relations
Commission will investigate.
Complaint forms can be downloaded here: https://www.phrc.pa.gov/File-a-Complaint/Pages/default.aspx
Please fill out the form that best describes what
happened to you, then mail it to the PA Human Relations
Commission office serving your county; contact
information for each regional office is listed at this
website:
https://www.phrc.pa.gov/AboutUs
/Pages/Contact-Us.aspx.
You may also file a grievance with the Pennsylvania
Department of Health using the Quality Assurance
Complaint Hotline for Home Health at 1-800-254-5164 or by sending a
complaint form to the address below. Instructions to
file a complaint with the PA Department of Health can be
found here:
https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/
facilities/Pages/Facilities-Licensing.aspx.
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Division of Home Health
555 Walnut Street Harrisburg, PA 17104
Telephone: 717-783-1379
Grievances submitted to BridgingLife must be submitted
within 60 days of the date that you become aware of the
possible discriminatory action and must state the
problem and the solution sought. We will issue a written
decision on the grievance no later than 30 days after
its filing, including a notice of your right to pursue
further administrative or legal action. You may file an
appeal of our decision in writing to the Assistant Vice President within 15
days. the Assistant Vice President will issue a response within 30 days after
its filing.
The availability and use of this grievance procedure do
not prevent you from pursuing other legal or
administrative remedies.
BridgingLife will not retaliate against any person who
voices a concern about discrimination, who files a
grievance related to discrimination, or who participates
in the investigation of a grievance related to
discrimination.