Lane County Department of Youth Services

Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date:  April 14, 2003

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

 

The Lane County Department of Youth Services (DYS) provides many types of services, such as case management, referrals to treatment services and communication with the courts.  DYS staff must collect information about you to provide these services. DYS knows that information we collect about you and your health is private.  DYS is required to protect this information by Federal and State law.  We call this information “protected health information” and refer to it as PHI.

This Notice of Privacy Practices tells you how DYS may use or disclose protected information about your health in the normal course of our business.  Not all situations will be described.  DYS will always disclose only the minimum amount of PHI necessary.  DYS will follow these policies.  However, if we need to change these policies we will notify you of any changes.  A current copy of this notice will always be available on our website, www.co.lane.or.us/ys

DYS May Use and Disclose Protected Health InformationWithout Your Authorization

For treatment:  DYS may disclose PHI to others who are involved in your case planning. For example, PHI may be shared by different staff and units within DYS, including detention, and with outside residential treatment providers or with the Oregon Youth Authority.

For payment.  DYS may disclose PHI to obtain payment or to pay for health care, prescriptions if you are in detention and for case management services you received. 

For oversight activities.  DYS may use or disclose PHI in order to manage its own programs and activities or to inspect or investigate outside providers.

As required by law and for law enforcement.  DYS will use and disclose PHI when required or permitted by federal or state law or by a court order.  PHI will often be included in court reports filed by DYS staff with the judge.

For abuse reports and investigations.  DYS is required to report and disclose any PHI that indicates child abuse.

To avoid harm.  DYS may disclose PHI to law enforcement in order to avoid a serious threat to the health and safety of a person or the public.

For research:  DYS uses information for studies and to develop reports.  This research does not identify specific people or allow your PHI to be connected to you.

In an emergency or for reasons of national security:   For example, if you fell and were unconscious, we would tell an EMT what we knew about your medical condition even if we were not able to get your consent.

Disclosure to family, friends and others:  DYS may disclose PHI to your family or other person who are involved in your case plan.  DYS will only disclose the minimum information necessary to help them provide you with appropriate care.  You have the right to object to the sharing of this PHI, unless you are under the age of 14.

Other Uses and Disclosures Require Your Authorization

Mental Health and drug and alcohol treatment records:  You must give your written authorization before we can disclose your mental health treatment records to anyone.

Unusual use:  DYS will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing PHI in unusual situations that are not covered by these guidelines.  You may cancel this authorization at any time in writing.

Your PHI Privacy Rights

Right to see and get copies of your records:  In most cases, you have the right to look at or get copies of your records.  You must make this request in writing.  You may be charged a fee for the cost of copying your records. 

Right to request to correct or update your records:  You may ask DYS to change or add missing PHI to your record if you think there is a mistake.  You must make the request in writing and provide a reason for the request.

Right to request limits on uses or disclosures of PHI.  You have the right to ask that DYS limit how your PHI is used or disclosed.  You must make the request in writing and tell DYS what PHI you want to limit and to whom you want the limits to apply. DYS is not required to agree to the restriction.

Right to get a list of disclosures:  You have the right to ask DYS for a list of disclosures made after April 14, 2003.  You must make the request in writing.  This list will not include the times that PHI was disclosed for treatment, payment or health care operations or as required by law.  The list will not include information provided directly to you or your family or information that was sent with your authorization.

Right to choose how we communicate with you:  You have the right to ask that DYS share PHI with you in a certain way or in a certain place.  For example, you may ask DYS to send information to your work address instead of your home address.  You must make this request in writing and do not need to provide a reason.

Contact Lisa Smith, DYS Director, to ask to look at or copy your records, to limit how PHI about you is used or disclosed, to correct your records or to ask for a list of the times DYS disclosed PHI about you.  DYS has a form for you to use.

Right to file a complaint:  You have the right to file a complaint if you do not agree with how DYS has used or disclosed PHI.

You may contact any of the people listed below if you want to file a complaint or to report a problem with how DYS has used or disclosed PHI about you.  Your case will not be affected by any complaints you make.  DYS cannot retaliate against you for filing a complaint, cooperating in an investigation or refusing to agree to something that you believe to be unlawful. 

Lisa Smith, Director
Department of Youth Services
2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Bvld.
Eugene, OR 97401

Kay Blackburn
Lane County Privacy Officer
Public Service Bldg.
125 8th
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 682-3329

Office of Civil Rights
Medical Privacy Complaint Divison
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW, HHH Building, Room 509H
Washington DC 20201
(866) 627-7748

 

 

 

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