Women's Health Clinic is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its clients, employees, members, volunteers and other stakeholders. WHC adheres to legislative requirements with respect to privacy.
DEFINITIONS:
Personal information - is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual’s opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about, or related to, the individual.
Exceptions: business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories, are not considered personal information.
Business Contact Information vs. Personal Information - Where an individual uses his or her home contact information as business contact information as well, it is considered that the contact information provided is business contact information, and is not therefore subject to protection as personal information.
PRINCIPLES:
WHC privacy practices are based on the following principles (outlined in Schedule 1 of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act):
- Accountability - WHC is responsible for personal information under its control and shall designate an individual who is accountable for the organization’s compliance with the following principles.
- Identifying Purposes - The purposes for which personal information is collected shall be identified at or before the time the information is collected.
- Consent – The knowledge and consent of the individual are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, except where inappropriate.
- Limiting Collection - The collection of personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by WHC. Information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.
- Limited Use, Disclosure and Retention - Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. Personal information shall be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
- Accuracy - Personal information shall be as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
- Safeguards - Personal information shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
- Openness - An organization shall make readily available to individuals, specific information about its policies and practices related to the management of personal information.
- Individual Access - Upon request, an individual shall be informed of the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information and shall be given access to that information. An individual shall be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate.
- Challenging Compliance - An individual shall be able to address a challenge concerning compliance with the above principles to the designated individual or individuals accountable for the organization’s compliance.
PRIVACY PRACTICES:
Personal information gathered by WHC is kept in confidence. WHC personnel are authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained. Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. WHC shall also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent its being lost or destroyed.
WHC collects, uses and discloses personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances. We routinely offer individuals we deal with the option not to have their information shared for purposes beyond those for which it was explicitly collected.