Northwood’s Privacy Statement
At Northwood, we are committed to protecting the privacy of your personal health information. We collect, use and disclose the personal health information you entrust to us for a number of purposes, which we summarize in this document. Our employees and other authorized persons are only allowed to collect, use and disclose the personal health information they need to: (1) fulfill their roles and (2) for purposes permitted
under Nova Scotia law, in particular the Personal Health information Act (PHIA).
The personal health information that we collect may include:
• Demographic information including your name, date of birth, address, phone number and next of kin
• Your provincial health card number
• Your physical and mental health care history
• Financial information related to your payments or eligibility for health care
Collection of Personal Health Information
We collect personal health information directly from you or the person acting on your behalf.
• Sometimes, we ask other health professionals or health-care organizations involved in your care for your personal health information to help us provide care to you.
• We may collect personal health information from other sources, if the law allows or with your consent.
• Personal health information may be collected and stored in different ways, such as your paper chart, electronic files and images.
Uses and Disclosures of Personal Health Information
We collect personal health information as needed to support the services and activities described below:
• Develop a care plan for you or to provide ongoing treatment while in our care.
• Help other health professionals outside our organization who are involved in your care to provide health services to you. This could include your family doctor, health professional, pharmacist or hospital.
• Receive payment from your provincial health-care plan, private insurer or other body for delivering care to you.
• Conduct quality improvement and risk management activities.
• Conduct resident and/or client satisfaction surveys.
• Conduct research, if you give your express consent. Note: Some research studies do not require your consent and have safeguards (e.g., Research Ethics Board approval) to protect your privacy, as per PHIA.
• Plan, administer and manage our internal operations, e.g., dietary management, staff scheduling.
• Enable the Department of Seniors and Long Term Care to plan and manage the health-care system.
• Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law, e.g., reporting abuse, notifiable disease or condition.
Your Rights
Under PHIA, you have the right to ask that your personal health information not be collected, used or disclosed or to limit its use and disclosure, in cases where your consent is required. For example, you could ask us not to give out your personal health information to a specific health professional or organization. In response to a request, we are required to:
• Take reasonable steps to comply with your request.
• Advise you of any consequences of your request.
• If we consider the personal health information to be reasonably necessary to share, we must tell the health care professional or organization that we are not releasing all of your personal health information to them because you have not given us your consent to do so.
You also have the right to:
• Request a copy of your personal health information by completing a Release of Information Authorization Form subject to Fee Schedule.
• Request a correction be made.
• Request a record of who has accessed your personal health information in an electronic information system.
• Be advised of a breach of your personal health information.
• Make a complaint about a concern related to your privacy using our Complaint Form.
• Request a review by the Provincial Review Officer of the Northwood’s decisions or actions.
You may withdraw or withhold your consent for the following uses and disclosures of personal health information and we will do what we reasonably can to comply with your wishes:
• Confirmation of your status as a resident or client. Please let staff know that you want this information kept private.
• Use or disclosure to a specific health professional or health organization involved in your care.
• Educational activities.
• Patient satisfaction surveys or religious representative notification (long term care resident).
You have the right to view or receive a copy of your personal health information. There are a few exceptions. For example, Northwood has the right to limit your access to your personal health information if your care team decides that your access could result in a risk of serious harm to yourself or others.
PHIA sets the fees we can charge for access, which vary depending on a number of things, such as the type of record(s) requested or amount of information you need. We are required to provide you with an estimate of the fees after receiving your completed request, so you can decide whether you want to move forward with the request. We must respond to your request within timelines set by PHIA. Request should be directed to Northwood’s Privacy Officer.
For More Information
For more information about your rights in relation to your personal health information, please speak to your care team. Or refer to our privacy pamphlet, “The Personal Health Information Act” (PL-0807)
You may also contact the Northwood Privacy Officer:
Northwood Privacy Officer
1S – 130 Eileen Stubbs Ave
Dartmouth NS B3B 2C4
902-454-8311
privacy@nwood.ns.ca
Download Fillable Privacy Complaint Form Here
The above form has been made fillable so you can fill out online and send digitally to privacy@nwood.ns.ca. It can also be printed and filled out by hand and mailed to the Northwood Privacy Officer.
Please follow the following link should you wish to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia.
