Easter Seals Disability Services

Easter Seals Online Network Privacy Policy

Notification of Change
The Information We Collect
Opting Out
Your California Privacy Rights
Correct/Update Your Profile
Aggregate Information
Cookies
Security of Your Information
Tell-A-Friend, Ecards and Personal Fundraising Pages
Links to Other Web Sites
Information from Children
Transmission of Health-Related Data

Welcome to the Easter Seals Online Network, the Web site of Easter Seals, Inc. (Easter Seals headquarters) and participating Easter Seals affiliates across the country.

Because Easter Seals values the privacy of constituents visiting the Easter Seals Online Network, users of the Easter Seals Online Network have the right to manage their own personal information.

You can contact Easter Seals for more information related to the privacy of the information you provide online:

Mail:  233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60606.
Phone:  312-726-6200
Online:  Click here to contact Easter Seals via email. Your request will be answered within 2-3 business days.

Notification of Change
Easter Seals reserves the right to change this policy at any time. Easter Seals privacy policy will be kept up-to-date and clearly posted on our Web site.

The Information We Collect
On many pages of the Easter Seals Online Network -- in particular when donating online, completing an action alert, registering for a special event, purchasing a product, or completing various feedback forms -- visitors are asked to list name, address, and other personal contact information. Information collected is specifically and knowingly provided by site visitors and may include name, email address, format preference (HTML vs. text), address, telephone number, interests and other similar information. Collecting this information helps Easter Seals to better provide site visitors with relevant and useful content.

Easter Seals has partnered with Convio, Inc. to power the Web content, email and transaction processing capabilities to serve our constituents and fulfill our mission on the Internet. Convio, Inc. is an Internet software and services company that provides online electronic Constituent Relationship Management (eCRM) solutions for nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. Convio will not disclose your name or other personally identifiable information (such as your e-mail address or phone number) to any party other than Easter Seals.

Neither Easter Seals nor Convio store sensitive information such as credit card numbers. When an online transaction is completed through the Easter Seals Online Network, such as a charitable contribution, credit card information is used solely for the purpose of completing that specific transaction and is not retained in the Easter Seals or Convio database.

Easter Seals will not sell, share or exchange personal contact information collected from this Web site with other organizations. If a user has a previous relationship with Easter Seals through another channel (i.e., mail, phone), Easter Seals will occasionally rent or exchange those names and addresses with other organizations as a way of providing extra funds to help support services. If you do not want to participate in this program, please let us know.

Visitors to the Easter Seals Online Network are not required to share any personally identifiable information. Users who do not wish to share personal information when visiting the Easter Seals Online Network can still access the Network's Web pages and the valuable information provided.

Opting Out
Easter Seals provides site visitors with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving our online and offline communications.

If you would like to opt-out of receiving email communications please update your user profile. Email unsubscribe requests are processed immediately.

To discontinue the receipt of postal mail, please contact Easter Seals. Shortly, Easter Seals will be adding the capability to remove your name from our postal mailing list online. You'll need to register as user of the Easter Seals Online Network. Please note: there is a 8-12 week lapse period due to the fact that a subsequent mailing may already be in production. If you do receive another mailing, please disregard it.

Your California Privacy Rights
To review a special notice for California residents only per California Privacy Law (SB27): Exchanging, Renting, Reselling Personal Information, please visit the "Your California Privacy Rights" section. 

Correct/Update Your Profile
Easter Seals offers the option to change and modify personally identifiable information. Upon your request, Easter Seals will remove personally identifying information retained in organizational databases. If you are a registered user of this site, you can access your Easter Seals profile and update your contact information and user preferences by clicking here.

Easter Seals reserves the right to maintain information on users who have had their access to the Easter Seals Online Network blocked.

Aggregate Information
Demographic and profile data (i.e., age, gender, browser usage) is also collected via the Easter Seals Online Network. Easter Seals uses such data to improve marketing and promotional efforts, statistically analyze site usage, improve content and product offerings and to customize site content, layout, and services. Additionally, this data may be shared with third parties on an aggregated basis. Easter Seals does not share personally identifying information with third parties, except to a court or governmental agency if required by law and as stated above in the section titled "The Information We Collect."

Cookies
A cookie is a small text file a Web site places on a site visitor’s computer hard drive. Its purpose is to let the site know when a user visits and to perform certain functions such as saving passwords and personal preferences.
 
Cookies help evaluate visitors' use of a Web site, such as what viewers want to see and what they never read. This information allows Easter Seals to better focus online information and to concentrate on information people are using.

Your browser is probably set to accept cookies. If you would like to turn this feature off, you will need to change the settings of your Internet browser.

Security of Your Information
All credit card and personal profile information provided to Easter Seals or our Internet software partner, Convio, Inc., is transmitted using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption using Verisign as a payment gateway. SSL is a proven coding system that allows a browser to automatically encrypt, or scramble, data before it is sent.

Easter Seals also protects account information by placing it on a secure portion of the Easter Seals Online Network that is only accessible by certain qualified employees of Easter Seals. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Easter Seals strives to protect your information, however cannot ensure or warrant the security of such information.

Tell-A-Friend, Ecards and Personal Fundraising Pages
If you elect to use the referral service to inform a friend about a page on the Easter Seals Online Network, send an ecard, or raise funds for Easter Seals by soliciting friends and family, you will be asked for the friend's name and email address. Easter Seals will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the site. Easter Seals stores this information to send this one-time email only. In addition, the contact information will be maintained solely for the future convenience of the individual who provided the information -- to send subsequent ecards or fundraising reminders/updates.

Links to Other Web Sites
Easter Seals has links to other Web sites outside of the Easter Seals Online Network. Easter Seals is not responsible for the content of any linked Web site, or any link contained in a linked Web site, or any changes or updates to such Web sites. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Easter Seals of that Web site.

In addition, please be aware that Easter Seals is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other Web sites. Easter Seals encourages you to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that requests personal information from you.

Information from Children
Easter Seals does not seek to collect personal information about children through the Easter Seals Online Network. If a child submits information through any part of the Network, and Easter Seals is aware that the user submitting the information is a child, the information is not used for any purpose, nor is it disclosed to third parties. Easter Seals will comply with all regulations set forward by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). To learn more about COPPA, visit the Federal Trade Commission.

Transmission of Health-Related Data
Easter Seals understands the sensitivity of collecting and using health-related data. Personally identifiable health-related data collected on the Easter Seals Online Network will not be shared with entities other than Easter Seals, Inc., and Easter Seals affiliates. Any transfer of personally identifiable health-related data between Easter Seals organizations will take place in a secure environment with access allowed only to certain qualified employees of Easter Seals. Easter Seals will comply with all regulations set forward by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To learn more about HIPAA, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc.
Notice of Privacy Practices
 

What is the purpose of this Notice?
We respect the privacy of your health information and pledge to protect that information. This Notice describes your rights and our duties on the subject of your health information. It tells you about how we may use and give out ("disclose") your personal medical information. This Notice applies to all information and records about your care that we have received or created. It also applies to information received by our employees, staff, contractors, volunteers and or other health care business associates of the agency.

Our promise to you about our duties and responsibilities:

The law says we must protect the privacy of your information. The law also says that we need to give you this notice about what we do with the information we collect and maintain about you. We must follow the practices described in this notice.
The Notice will be posted in the reception areas of our facilities .  We agree to consider any reasonable privacy requests and to notify you if we are unable to meet those requests. We will not use or give out your information without permission, except as described in this notice.

Who will follow this Notice?
Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. provides care to patients and clients together with clinicians and other health care professionals. This Notice will be followed by:

·         All employees/contractors.

·         All administrative staff, to include finance, human resources, marketing and development.

What are your rights as a patient?
You have the following rights regarding your Personal Health Information:

·         You have the right to ask us to limit how your personal medical information is used and given out for your care, for billing, and for our business reasons. If you write to us and ask us to limit information, we will consider your request. Please understand that under the law, we do not have to accept it.

·         You may also ask us to limit your medical information that we use and give out to a family member, friend or other person who is involved in your care or the payment of your care.

·         You have a right to see and get a copy of your medical or billing records or other written information that we may use to make decisions about your care, with some exceptions. In most cases, we may charge a reasonable fee for our costs in copying and mailing the information you have asked for.

·         There are certain circumstances where we cannot agree to your request. In these cases, you will have the right to review the reasons why we did not agree with your request. The Privacy Officer of the agency and/or his/her designee will perform the review.

·         You have the right to request that we add to ("amend") your health record if you believe that the information is wrong or if you believe that important information is missing. Your request must be made in writing and must list the reason for your request. If we disagree with your request, you may ask us to include your written statement that lists the reasons why we disagreed with your request.

·         You have the right to get a listing or "accounting" of those people or organizations that received your medical information from us. This list includes disclosures made by Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. or by others on our behalf. It does not include disclosures for treatment, payment and our business operations or certain other exceptions. To request an accounting of disclosures, you must send us a request in writing. The first list provided within a 12-month period will be free. After that, we may charge you our costs.

·         You have a right to have a paper copy of this Notice at any time you ask for it from any of our service or treatment areas.

·         You have a right to ask that we communicate with you about your health matters in a different way or at a different place. For example, you can ask that we contact you only at a certain phone number or address that may be different from your home address. We will agree to reasonable requests.

Who do you contact for more information or to report a problem?
If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint in writing with Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. by contacting the person/s listed below:

Privacy Officer:   Toni Asheh-203-237-7835, ext. 29

Privacy Officer:   Carol Farquhar-203-237-1448, ext. 37

                         158 State Street

                         Meriden, CT 06450

Privacy Officer:   Amy Anderson 860-447-2931

                         400 Bayonet Street

                         New London, CT 06320

You may also file a complaint with the Officer of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There are no penalties if you file a complaint.

What happens if Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. changes this Notice?
We have the right to change this notice. We will post a copy of the current notice in our facilities. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand corner, the effective date. Also, each time you register at or are admitted to Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. for treatment or health care services, you may ask for a copy of the current notice in effect. If we change this notice, you will be notified the next time you come to the center and you may request a new copy.

When and how will Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. use and/or give out your personal medical information?

We may use and disclose your health information for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations (our business operations) without written permission. There are times when we must use your personal medical information. The center must use and give out your personal medical information:

·         To you or someone who has the legal right to act for you (your personal representative),

·         To the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, if necessary, to make sure your privacy is protected,

·         Where required by law, and in certain emergency circumstances.

What are treatment, payment, and health care operations and what are some examples?
Treatment : Treatment is when we provide care to you. It includes many pieces, including when doctors and clinicians consult on your case or when referrals are needed. We will use and disclose your health information when we provide you with treatment and services, and to coordinate your care. Your health information may be used by therapists, educators, and other clinicians/staff involved in your care. For example, our staff may need certain information to recommend a hearing aid for you. We also may give health information to individuals and facilities that will be involved in your care after you leave Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc.

Payment: Payment is billing for services we provided. It also involves receiving payment from individuals or insurance companies. We will give out some of your health information so that we can bill and receive payment for the treatment and services you receive. For billing and payment purposes, we may give out your health information to your representative, insurance or managed care company. Medicare, Medicaid or another payer. For example, we may contact Medicare or your health plan to confirm your coverage or to request prior approval for a proposed treatment or service. Payment information may include things that identify you, your diagnosis, procedures performed on you, and supplies we used.

Health Care Operations: Health care operations involve many things that Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. must do to operate its' business side. We may give out your health information as necessary for clinic operations or business reasons. These may include management purposes or reviewing our treatment and services for quality of care. We may also use your information to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you by using surveys. For example, health information of many patients may be grouped and studied for purposes such as evaluating our employees and in reviewing the qualifications and practices of the clinicians and other licensed health care staff at the Center. We may also use and disclose health information for education and training purposes. We may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you may be asked to sign your name. We may also call or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment.

How else does Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc. use and disclose medical information?
We may also use and disclose health information about you for specific purposes. Below is a list of the various ways in which we may use or give out your health information:

Center Directory - Unless you say no, or are a Behavioral Health Patient, we will include certain limited information about you in our directory while you are a patient. Our directory does not include specific medical information about you other than your general condition. If people ask for you by name, we will share that you are a patient here and where you are located.

Individuals involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care - Unless you say no, we may disclose health information about you and a family member, close personal friend or other person you identify, including clergy, who is involved in your care. We will only share the information needed for that person to help with your care or in arranging payment for your care.

Business Associates - There may be some services provided by our business associates, such as transportation services or legal consultants. We may give out your health information to our business associates so they can perform the jobs we have asked them to do. To protect your health information, we have our business associates sign written contracts that require them to keep your information safe and confidential.

Disaster Relief - We may disclose health information about you to an organization assisting in a disaster relief effort.

Emergencies - We may use or disclose your health information in emergency treatment situations.

Communication Barriers - We may use and disclose your protected health information if your clinician or another therapist in the center tries to get permission from you but can't because of language barriers. In this case, the therapist will use reasonable judgement that you intend to give permission to use or disclose information under the circumstances.

As Required By Law - We may disclose health information when required by law to do so. Reporting Victims of Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence. If we believe that you have been a victim of abuse or neglect, we may use and disclose your health information to notify a government authority. This will happen if we are authorized or required by law or if you agree to the report. For child/elder abuse or neglect, we will disclose your health information to government authorities.

Legal Proceedings- We may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. We also may disclose information in response to a supoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.

Appointment Reminders - We may use or disclose your health information to remind you of your appointment.

Public Health Activity - We may disclose health information for public health activities. These activities may include, for example:

·         reporting to a public health or other government authority for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting births and deaths;

·         reporting to the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues concerning problems with products and product recalls, etc. or,

·         to notify a person, who may have been exposed to or is at risk of spreading a communicable disease, if authorized by law.

Health Oversight Activities - We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These may include, for example, Medicare audits, investigations, State Health Department inspections and licensure actions or other legal proceedings.

Law Enforcement - We may disclose health information for certain law enforcement purposes. These include, for example, following reporting requirements for emergencies or suspicious deaths; to follow a court order, warrant, or similar legal procedure; to identify or locate a suspect or missing person; or to answer certain requests for information about crimes.

Research - Your health information may be used for research purposes without authorization, but only if there has been review and approval by our Privacy Committee.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, Funeral Directors, and for Organ Donation - We may release your health information to a coroner, medical examiner or funeral director. If you are an organ donor, we may disclose health information to an organization involved in the donation of organs and tissue.

To Avoid a Serious Threat to Health or Safety - Should it be necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of others, we may use or disclose health information. This type of disclosure will be limited to someone able to disclose protected health information of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel:

·         for activities believed necessary by appropriate military command authorities

·         for the purpose of determining your eligibility for benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or (3) to

·         foreign military authority if you are a member of that foreign military service. We may also disclose your protected health information to authorized federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities including for the provision of protective services to the President or others legally authorized.

Workers' Compensation - We may use or disclose your health information to comply with laws relating to workers' compensation or similar programs.

Inmates/Law Enforcement Custody - If you are an inmate of a prison or jail, or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may disclose health information to the institution or official for certain purposes including the health and safety of you and others.

Treatment Alternatives and Health-Related Benefits and Services - We may use or disclose your health information to inform you about treatment alternatives and health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. For example, your name and address may be used to send you a newsletter about products or services that we believe may be beneficial to you.

Minors - We will follow Connecticut law when using or disclosing protected health information of minors. For example, if you are an un-emancipated minor agreeing to health care services related to HIV/AIDS, venereal disease, and you have not requested that another person be treated as a personal representative, you may have the authority to agree to the use and disclosure of your health information.

Is information about Behavioral Health, substance abuse treatment, and HIV treated differently?

For disclosures concerning health information related to care for Behavioral Health (psychiatric) conditions, substance abuse or HIV-related testing and treatment, special rules may apply. For example, we usually are not able to disclose this specially protected information in response to a subpoena, warrant or other legal process unless you sign a special authorization to release this type of information about you in cases other than what is listed here.