Down East Community Hospital (DECH) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical ability or disability, political affiliation, religion, culture, socio-economic status, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or language. DECH does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical ability or disability, political affiliation, religion, culture, socio-economic status, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or language. 

 Down East Community Hospital

  • Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:

○ Qualified sign language interpreters
○ Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)

  • Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
  • Qualified interpreters
  • Information written in other languages

 If you need these services, contact the Hospital at 207-255-3356. If you have a TTY, you may also dial 711 Maine Relay.

If you believe that Down East Community Hospital 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: Karen Theriault at 207-255-0272, email ktheriault@dech.org or fax to 207-255-0214.  You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, Karen Theriault is available to help you.

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/ocr/office/file/index.html.