Our Commitment To Privacy
At weCHC, we value your privacy. This statement reflects our commitment to protect your privacy. Each one of our weCHC representatives must abide by this commitment.
Legislative Responsibility
All privacy-related practices have been designed to comply with or exceed applicable privacy legislation, specifically, Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.
How We Collect Personal Health Information?
We collect your personal health information directly from you or those who act on your behalf. Occasionally, we collect personal health information about you from other sources – if you have given us permission to do so or if the law permits – for example, from other health care providers involved with your care.
What Personal Health Information Do We Collect?
We limit the personal health information that we collect about you to that which is necessary for our purposes as outlined in this Statement. We collect personal health information such as name, date of birth, address, health card number, health history, records of your visits, and the care you received.
Why Do We Use And Disclose Your Personal Health Information?
We only use and disclose your personal health information for the purposes listed below. We will not use or disclose your personal health information for any other purpose unless we obtain your consent.
- Provide or assist in providing health care to you. In this regard, unless you direct us otherwise, we may disclose your personal health information to other healthcare providers within your “circle of care”. The “circle of care” is your healthcare team – the healthcare providers involved in your care/service. The health care team may include, for example, physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and psychologists. We may send copies of all or part of your health record to your circle of care.
- Get payment for the health care provided to you from OHIP, WSIB, your private insurer, or others, as applicable.
- Obtain funding from our funders and fulfill our obligations to them. For example, your personal health information is entered into an electronic client database. The database is required to generate reports that are given to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Please note that the information incorporated into the reports, it is no longer personal health information as it is deidentified.
- Participate in legal proceedings pertaining to you.
- Plan, administer, manage and evaluate our internal operations.
- Conduct risk management activities.
- Conduct research. For example, we may use our electronic client database containing your personal health information for clinical research, however when we do so, we de-identify the information, so it is no longer personal health information.
- Conduct quality improvement activities such as surveys and audits. For example, your health care record may be reviewed to ensure that all the necessary information meets professional standards.
- Communicate further information about us.
- Provide teaching opportunities.
- Fundraise to improve our programs and services.
Fulfill our legal obligations or other purposes permitted or required by law, such as for examples:
- If police subpoena a client record for court purposes.
- If you pose a significant risk of serious bodily harm to yourself or others.
- If you or anyone under the age of 18 might be in need of protection from physical, sexual, emotional abuse and/or neglect, and risk of harm.
- If you report sexual abuse by a regulated health care provider.
- If certain communicable diseases are determined and are reportable.
- If a health care provider’s professional college authorizes a review of professional standards.