PRIVACY POLICY

 Our Commitment

Speech-Language Pathology at Home (“S-LP at Home”) is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its clients.  S-LP at Home values the trust of those we deal with, and of the public, and recognizes that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information that you choose to share with us.

S-LP at Home complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, Canada (“PIPEDA”) and the included provisions of the Canadian Standards Association (“CSA”) Model Code, and with the provisions of the Personal Health Information Act (NL) (“PHIA”) to protect the personal information and personal health information of its clients.

During the course of our work, S-LP at Home occasionally gathers and uses personal information, including personal health information as defined both by PIPEDA and PHIA.  Anyone from whom we collect such information should expect that it will be carefully protected and that any use of or other dealing with this information is subject to your consent.  S-LP at Home’s privacy practices are designed to achieve this.

Defining Personal Information

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.  Examples of personal information include Social Insurance Number, age, marital status, and language.  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.  Personal health information is defined in section 5 of PHIA, and includes information related to an individual’s physical or mental health and the provision of health care to an individual.

Privacy Practices

Personal information gathered by S-LP at Home is kept in confidence.  S-LP at Home 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.  We also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent its being lost or destroyed.

We collect, use and disclose personal information and personal health information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances – this means only within our relationship for the purposes of advising you and for your treatment.  All written documentation is kept in a locked filing cabinet within a locked room.  All electronic information is protected through the use of password protocols and encryption.

We do not disclose your personal information or your personal health information without prior written consent from you; this includes any express consent you gave when we discussed whether or not we had permission to share information with others in your circle of care, or family members.  The exceptions to this rule are: (i) in the event of an emergency, for emergency medical care; or (ii) to comply with the law, including a valid police warrant or a court order.

You may withdraw any consent that you gave for us to disclose your personal information at any time by letting us know. Please note that we may retain information for record keeping or legal compliance. We retain information about you only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.

Updating of Privacy Policy

S-LP at Home regularly reviews its privacy practices. Any revisions to the policy will be made available on our website www.slpathome.com.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or need any other information please contact our privacy officer here.  S-LP at Home welcomes your questions, comments and concerns. Further information on privacy and your rights in regard to your personal information may be found on the website of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.privcom.gc.ca.