Our Commitment
We do not intentionally exclude people from access to DrBradShook.com, its educational resources, the public Application for Care, or services we offer on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, religion, or another status protected by applicable law.
We aim to treat people respectfully and consistently while recognizing that access to a particular professional service may depend on factors such as scope of practice, clinical or consulting fit, geographic or licensing limitations, safety, available capacity, and whether the requested service is one we provide.
A decision about whether a service is appropriate is not intended to be based on a protected personal characteristic. If you believe you were treated differently for an unlawful discriminatory reason, we want to know about it.
Equal Access and Reasonable Assistance
We work to make the website and its public-facing resources accessible to people with disabilities. Our current accessibility practices are described in the Accessibility Policy.
If you need a reasonable accessibility-related adjustment to use a public website feature or to understand information on the site, contact us and explain what would help. We will make a reasonable effort to assist within the scope of the service and applicable requirements.
We also recognize that communication needs can differ. If a format, communication method, or accessibility barrier makes it difficult to use the site, please contact us so we can consider an appropriate alternative when reasonably possible.
Application for Care and Service Decisions
The public Application for Care is used to determine whether the requested service appears to fit the current scope of the practice and whether there is capacity to help. Applying does not guarantee acceptance, and acceptance may depend on the nature of the request, scope, geography, safety considerations, available capacity, and other legitimate service-related factors.
Those decisions should not be made because of a person's race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, religion, or another characteristic protected by applicable law.
How to Raise a Concern With Us
If you believe you experienced discrimination in connection with DrBradShook.com or a service offered by The Office of Dr. Brad Shook, please contact us at (828) 324-0800. Explain what happened, the date or approximate date, and the part of the website or service involved.
We will review good-faith concerns and make a reasonable effort to address issues that fall within our control. Raising a good-faith discrimination or accessibility concern will not, by itself, be used as a reason to retaliate against you.
If your concern includes private health information, use an appropriate private communication channel rather than posting sensitive information publicly.
Federal Civil Rights Complaints
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, or HHS OCR, accepts civil-rights complaints involving health and human-services entities that are covered by the federal laws OCR enforces. OCR explains that coverage depends on the particular law and entity, including whether a program or activity receives applicable federal financial assistance.
If you believe an entity covered by HHS civil-rights laws unlawfully discriminated against you, you may review the current complaint process or file through the HHS OCR Complaint Portal:
HHS OCR currently lists its Customer Response Center at 1-800-368-1019 and TTY at 1-800-537-7697. Because federal civil-rights requirements and court rulings can change, the HHS website is the best source for the current complaint process and scope of OCR jurisdiction.
Scope of This Policy
This page states our nondiscrimination commitment and provides a path for raising concerns. It is not intended to expand or limit any right provided by applicable federal, state, or local law, and it does not determine whether a particular statute applies to a particular service or circumstance.
Federal healthcare civil-rights laws apply differently depending on the program, funding, activity, and legal context. Where a law applies, we intend to follow the applicable requirement.