Privacy

Headwaters Health Care Centre (Headwaters) recognizes that the information of our patients deserves to be treated with respect and sensitivity. We are committed to protecting the privacy of information under our custody and control and in accordance with Ontario’s privacy and health-privacy legislations; the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

The Regional Privacy Office is responsible for ensuring a culture of privacy at Headwaters, and supports all staff, physicians, patients and families in ensuring the safety and security of information.

Collecting, Using and Disclosing Your Personal Health Information

When you receive care at Headwaters, we collect personal health information (PHI) and personal information (PI) about you in order to provide you with healthcare or assist in the provision of healthcare.

Information that we collect may include your name, date of birth, address, health history, records of your visit and the care that you received.

We may collect this information directly from you or someone with the legal authority to consent for you. We will only collect as much information as is necessary to meet the purpose of the collection.

In accordance with PHIPA, we use this information to:

• Treat and care for you
• Maintain a record of your care
• Obtain payment for your treatment (i.e. OHIP, WSIB)
• Plan, administer and manage our internal operations
• Conduct risk management and quality improvement activities (i.e. patient safety audits)
• Improve the quality of hospital services (i.e. post care surveys)
• Compile statistics
• To support research and educational programs
• For fundraising purposes (your name and address only)
• To coordinate your care with your other health care providers including through shared electronic health information systems
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• To fulfill other purposes as permitted or required by law.

Headwaters may also disclose your information to the following: 

• External electronic health record systems including, but not limited to: Client Information Management System (CIMS), Integrated Services for Children’s Information System (ISCIS), and Electronic Children’s Health Network (eCHN).
• Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long Term Care e-health projects including, but not limited to: the Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI), Wait Time Information System (WTIS), Drug Profile Viewer, Ontario Renal Reporting System (ORRS), Ontario Laboratory Information System (OLIS) and Connecting Ontario.
• Approved provincial agencies such as: Cancer Care Ontario, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, BORN, and Trillium Gift of Life.
• Researchers if the research has been approved by our Research Ethics Board
• The Medical Officer of Health to report communicable diseases
• The Workplace Safety & Insurance Board
• Law enforcement officers who present a warrant or subpoena, or to aid in an investigation
• The Children's Aid Society
• The Public Guardian and Trustee
• The Coroner’s Office

Your Information; Your Choice

Where your consent is required for any collection, use or disclosure of your personal health information, you may withdraw or withhold your consent for some of the ways we use or disclose your personal health information by contacting us (subject to exceptions such as where disclosures are required by law).

Unless you tell us differently, we may:

• Advise visitors and callers that you are a patient at Headwaters and which unit you are on, and a high level status of your condition.
• Disclose your personal health information to external health care providers who need it to provide you with care or to help provide you with care.
• Share your information with provincial electronic databases.
• Give your name, your location within the hospital, and your religious affiliation to spiritual care representatives, but only if you tell us your religious affiliation.
• Share your information for Quality Improvement such as patient satisfaction surveys
• Disclose your contact information (name and address only) to our Foundation so that they may conduct fundraising to improve our health care facilities, services and programs.

To learn more about privacy at Headwaters view the documents below.

• Privacy Principles
• Privacy Frequently Asked Questions
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) Information and Request Form
• Request to Correct PHI and PI Form
• Lockbox Fact Sheet and Request Form

Contact Us

For more information about privacy at Headwaters, please contact the Regional Privacy Office

Regional Privacy Office
201 Georgian Drive
Barrie, ON L4M 6M2

Email: privacy@headwatershealth.ca
Tel: 705.792.3318 or 519.941.2410 extension 2578
Fax: 705.797.3110

You have the right to make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if you think we have violated your privacy rights. The Commissioner can be reached as follows:

Information and Privacy Commissioner / Ontario
2 Bloor St. East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Tel: 416-326-3333 or toll free at 1-800-387-0073
Email: commissioner@ipc.on.ca
Website: www.ipc.on.ca