ESSC Ethics & Compliance

People holding word EthicsCompliance box checked with pencil
Why Ethics and Compliance?

ESSC is strongly committed to to providing a safe, secure and ethical work place. Effective ethics is a team effort where everyone has a responsibility to voice fraud concerns, safety-related concerns, compliance and ethics concerns/violations.

We are also dedicated to providing high quality services in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Our commitment extends from internal business operations to oversight and monitoring responsibilities of contracted/sub-contracted providers and all funding agencies. Please note that a compliance-oriented ethical workplace is the hallmark of providing quality care to the people who receive our services.

What is Compliance?

Compliance is a systematic approach to governance designed to ensure that an organization meets its obligations under all applicable laws, regulations, best practices, standards, organization’s values, contractual obligations, and various organizational policies. ESSC is strongly committed to ethical conduct and fostering a "culture of compliance" that supports adherence to the law and to ESSC’s policies and procedures.

To support full compliance, we implemented a robust and effective Corporate Compliance Program based on guidance and standards established by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Health Care Services for Medi-Cal (DHCS), and the Medicare Managed Care Manual.

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Our Values

a. Integrity: We conduct business ethically, and with a commitment to moral integrity. We expect people to hold high moral and ethical standards.

b. People-Focused: We are people-focused. We provide services tailored to the needs of individuals and their families. We strive to continually understand and accommodate the increasing and changing needs of the people we serve, regardless of their resources.

c. Independence: We foster independence. We believe in greater independence for all people with disabilities. We continually seek to create opportunities to enhance the independence of people with disabilities or special needs.

d. Respect: We respect each other. We value the uniqueness and dignity of each individual and his or her contributions to society. We value the strength of diversity and inclusion.

e. Shared Purpose: We share a sense of purpose. We are passionate about meeting our mission. We believe that to better meet our mission, we must work as a unified organization.

f. Excellence: We value excellence. We have a strong commitment to organizational excellence and continuous quality improvement. We believe we must be committed to excellence and accountability to achieve the highest quality outcomes for the people we serve.

g. Stewardship: We build relationships. We are responsible stewards of our funds and our relationships with donors, volunteers, vendors and other supporters.

h. Philanthropy: We believe in the importance of charitable giving. We highly value the impact that giving has in creating opportunities for children and adults with disabilities or special needs. We honor the intent of donors and continually strive to use contributed resources efficiently and effectively.

ESSC’S CODE OF ETHICS

We strive to provide the best possible services and maintain the highest levels of integrity and professionalism in our organization and we ask that our associates and all representatives of Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) hold high standards, conduct business ethically and share a commitment to moral integrity. Associates and everyone involved with Easterseals activities should adhere to and advocate the following principles governing professional and ethical conduct.

Code of EthicsCode of Ethics on a screen

  • Act with honesty and integrity, avoiding actual or apparent conflicts of interest.
  • Provide information that is accurate, complete, objective, relevant, timely and understandable.
  • Comply with the laws of federal, state and local governments and the rules and regulations of other appropriate private and public regulatory agencies.
  • Act in good faith, responsibly, with due care, competence and diligence, without misrepresenting material facts or allowing independent judgment to be compromised.
  • Safeguard and protect our clients' medical information, keep it confidential, and only to release it to appropriate parties when authorized to do so. All associates are required to notify Easterseals of any unauthorized disclosures, inadvertent or otherwise, that may potentially violate HIPAA.
  • Share knowledge and maintain skills important and relevant to Easterseals' needs.
  • Demonstrate professional conduct, show proper respect and consideration for everyone. Maintain a working environment free from all forms of discriminatory treatment, harassment, abuse or intimidation.
  • Promote ethical behavior among peers.
  • Responsibly use and control all Easterseals' assets and resources. Be responsible stewards of our funds and our relationships with donors, volunteers, funders and other supporters.
  • Communicate Easterseals' services in a manner which is respectful of the people receiving services and upholds the integrity of Easterseals.

Reporting ImageCONFIDENTIAL REPORTING HOTLINE

To help you voice concerns, ESSC has engaged Lighthouse Services Inc., a third party hotline provider, to ensure the safe, secure and anonymous reporting of activities which may involve misconduct, fraud, abuse, and other violations of ESSC’s policies. Please note that anyone, including ESSC’s associates, vendors/sub-contractors, people we serve, or family members, may use the confidential reporting hotline to file a complaint.   

Accessing the Confidential Reporting Hotline, can be done by using one of these following four ways:

Telephone:

English:            (833) 670-0002

Spanish:           (800) 216-1288

Website:           www.lighthouse-services.com/essc

E-mail:             reports@lighthouse-services.com (include company name with your report)

Fax:                 (215) 689-3885 (include company name with your report)

ESSC management does not condone and prohibits retaliatory action against anyone who reports or inquires, in good faith about potential breaches of ESSC policies.

Download the Confidential Reporting Hotline Flyer: English

Download the Confidential Reporting Hotline Flyer: Spanish

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