CHIRS’ Personal Information Policy

CHIRS collects and uses personal information about you to provide the best possible service.

We recognize the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of your personal information.  We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected through practices and policies that relate to collecting, using, sharing, and keeping personal information consistent with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.

Why does CHIRS need your personal information?

Personal and financial information are collected in order to:

• Determine your eligibility for service, your subsidy requirement, and how much service you need.
• Provide you with individualized services that relate to your needs.
• Maintain a list of applicants waiting for services.
• Satisfy legal requirements.
• Improve the quality of our services including the management of risk.
• Teach students and other professionals.
• Raise funds in order to improve the services.
• Make referrals on your behalf to other healthcare providers for additional services.
• Do research to improve our knowledge in acquired brain injury.

What personal information does CHIRS collect and keep?

• Your personal information relating to the service(s) provided or being requested.
• Reports on your goals, progress, support needs, medical and psychological information that relate to your service plan. This information is most often shared with you or persons acting on your behalf on a regular basis.
• Personal information about you received from other sources where the information helps us have a better understanding of your needs and your progress.
• Your personal information profile that provides important contacts and personal health information for everyday staff use and for use in an emergency.

How does CHIRS collect your personal information?

• We receive your personal information from other agencies and organizations, which have obtained your consent to share information with us.
• Personal information is collected in the form of the “Request For Service” submitted by you or the person acting on your behalf.
• We may also receive personal information from other health professionals, service providers, and family members both written and verbal supporting your application.
• Personal information is collected during your screening interview with CHIRS’ intake and assessment team.
• Ongoing information is shared with us from others who are providing you continuing service.

When does CHIRS disclose personal information?

• CHIRS only discloses your personal information for the reason it is collected unless you give us your consent to disclose for other reasons or we are required or authorized to do so by law.
• Our staff and volunteers are provided access to your personal information in order to provide service and/or carry out their assignments.  However, the amount of personal information made available is limited to what is needed to carry out the assignment or to provide the service.
• You further direct the disclosure of personal information to others involved in your support through the service planning and service agreement process.
• In the event that you are at some risk of serious harm or your actions would put someone at serious risk of harm, CHIRS will disclose, without consent, personal information necessary to reduce the risk of harm to the individual or individuals.
• CHIRS makes referrals on your behalf to other health care or community service providers for additional services or to apply for financial benefits

Your Choices

• You may withdraw your consent for some of the above-mentioned use and disclosure.
• You may direct us to share or not to share some or all of the personal information about you to certain people or agencies.
• In certain circumstances limiting our ability to collect information may impede our ability to provide comprehensive service.
• You may have access to and seek correction of your personal information.

The Security of your Personal Information

CHIRS takes steps to:

• Ensure that everyone who works or performs services for us protects your privacy and uses only your personal information for the purposes to which you have consented.
• Protect your personal health information from theft, loss and unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure, and disposal.
• Complete audits and investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance.

Contact CHIRS for more information

• For more information about CHIRS’ privacy protection practice, or to raise a concern you have with our practices, please write to our privacy contact person, Danny Caplan, at 62 Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 7G1, or send e-mail or telephone 416-240-8000. If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario at 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1A8, or telephone 416-326-3333.  Additional information is on their web site: www.ipc.on.ca.

CHIRS’ Public Statement on Information Protection Policy - November 2004, updated August 26 2005