Nondiscrimination and language help
Who Nexa accepts
Anyone it can help. Nexa does not turn people away or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, religion, or the language they speak.
California's list is longer than the federal one, and Nexa's commitment covers all of it. Under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, everyone in this state is entitled to full and equal services from a business no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status.
Source: California Civil Code section 51(b), the Unruh Civil Rights Act: "no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status."
That is about who Nexa accepts, not about what Nexa is built to treat. There are needs this program is not set up for — overnight supervision, medical detox, and emergency psychiatric care — and they are named plainly on What we treat. Being turned toward the right kind of care is not the same thing as being turned away.
Help in your language, free
If English is not your first language, Nexa will get you an interpreter at no cost to you. You will not be asked to bring your own, and you will not be asked to have your child interpret for you — that is not fair to either of you, and for anything medical it is not safe.
Source: 45 CFR 92.11, the formal language-help notice. It does not yet bind Nexa; see "Where this rule comes from, and when it binds Nexa" below.
Help if you have a disability
Free aids and services to communicate with Nexa — a qualified sign language interpreter, written material in large print, or another format that works for you. Ask, and it is arranged.
Where this rule comes from, and when it binds Nexa
The formal version of this notice is required by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which applies to health programs that receive federal health funding — in practice, providers enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid. Nexa is not enrolled in either today.
Nexa's commitment above does not depend on that. The formal notice, with the complaint routes and the fifteen translations, is added if Nexa enrolls.
Source: 45 CFR 92.10 and 92.11.
If you believe you were discriminated against
Tell Nexa. Call (805) 210-2288 and ask for the Privacy Officer. You can also complain to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Nobody at Nexa will retaliate against you for doing either.
To reach the Office for Civil Rights:
- Online, at the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal.
- By mail: Centralized Case Management Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F HHH Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20201.
- By email: OCRComplaint@hhs.gov. Ordinary email is not encrypted, so keep personal details to what the complaint needs.
- By phone: Office for Civil Rights toll-free, (800) 368-1019; TDD (a text telephone for people who are deaf or hard of hearing) toll-free, (800) 537-7697.
A complaint to the Office for Civil Rights must be filed within 180 days of when you knew about the act you are complaining of.