Collection of Personal Health Information
Niagara Children’s Centre collects personal health information about your child and family. The personal health information we collect may include:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Health and developmental history
- Records of visits to Niagara Children’s Centre
- Care your child and family received during visits to Niagara Children’s Centre
Occasionally, we collect personal health information about children and families from other sources if necessary and if permissible by law. We require your consent to collect information from sources outside of your health care team. Any personal health information we collect is contained within a secured electronic system (see below for our guide to privacy and consent for families). We limit collection of information to what is required to provide care to you and your child.
Uses and Disclosures of Personal Health Information
We use and disclose personal health information to:
- Provide treatment and care for children and families
- Collect payment for treatment and care
- Plan, administer and manage our internal operations
- Conduct risk management activities
- Conduct quality improvement activities, such as sending satisfaction surveys
- Educate students at the Centre
- Conduct research
- Compile statistics
- Fundraise to improve our healthcare services and programs
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
- Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law
- Provide care to those receiving services
Your Choices
Parents and caregivers may limit access, make corrections to their children’s personal health records or withdraw consent for some of the above uses and disclosures. To limit access, make corrections, or withdraw consent, please speak with a member of your child’s health team and they will provide information on how to make changes. Please note there are some legal exceptions.
Privacy and Social Media
We take great care to protect the privacy of our clients, visitors and employees, particularly in light of the widespread use of social media (i.e. – Facebook, YouTube, blogs, etc.). If you wish to photograph or video your child while they receive services at the Centre, we ask that you first discuss this with your clinician to ensure that this does not interfere with therapy, and that the privacy of others is protected. Unless consent has been provided, the images may only include your child and you/your family. You must also have permission from your clinician to take any images of her/him.
Personal Health Information and Email
Centre staff will not send you emails that contain your personal health information. If you would like to send an email with personal health information to your clinician(s), please be aware of some of the risks identified by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario:
- Emails can be sent inadvertently to the wrong recipient, for example, by mistyping an email address or using the autocomplete feature. Once sent, an email can also be forwarded or changed without the knowledge or permission of the original sender
- Email is often accessed on portable devices, such as smart phones, tablets and laptops, which are vulnerable to theft and loss
- Email may also be vulnerable to interception and hacking by unauthorized third parties
- The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario offers a helpful email fact sheet where you can learn more: Communicating Personal Health Information by Email Fact Sheet
Protecting Your Important Information
We take steps to protect your personal health information from theft, loss, unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal. Some methods we use to protect your information include:
- Conducting audits and investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance
- Taking steps to ensure that everyone who performs services for Niagara Children’s Centre protects your privacy and only uses your personal health information for the purposes you have consented to
- Adhering to our Guide to Privacy and Consent for Families
For more information about our privacy protection practices, or to raise a concern you have with our practices, please contact:
Kathy Bell
Director of Clinical Services and Privacy Officer
Niagara Children’s Centre
567 Glenridge Avenue
St. Catharines, Ontario, L2T 4C2
Phone: 905-688-1890 ext. 200
Email: privacy@niagarachildrenscentre.com (Please do not send personal information via email)
If you are dissatisfied with how Niagara Children’s Centre has managed your personal or private information, please contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The commissioner can be reached at:
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1A8
Phone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539
Email: info@ipc.on.ca