Silver Sands Recovery operates the https://silversandsrecovery.com/ website, which provides adult addiction treatment services.

This page is used to inform website visitors regarding our policies with the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information if anyone decided to use our Service.

If you choose to use our Service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation with this policy. The Personal Information that we collect are used for providing and improving the Service. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

Information Collection and Use

For a better experience while using our Service, we may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name, phone number, and postal address. We are the sole owners of the information collected on the site. The information that we collect will be used to contact or identify you. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

We also collect non-personally identifiably information through such devices like analytics, cookies, and log files, which may include, but is not limited to, your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider), the Web browser you used to visit the Site, the time visited the Site, which Web Pages you visited on the Site, and other anonymous Site usage data.

We may share information with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in fraud prevention or investigation. Under no circumstances do we rent, trade or share your address or e-mail address with any other company for their marketing purposes without your consent. We may do so when: (1) permitted or required by law; or (2) trying to protect against or prevent actual or potential fraud or unauthorized transactions; or (3) investigating fraud which has already taken place. The information is not provided to these companies for marketing purposes.  

Log Data

We want to inform you that whenever you visit our Service, we collect information that your browser sends to us that is called Log Data. This Log Data may include information such as your computer Internet Protocol address, browser version, pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics.

Cookies

Cookies are files with small amount of data that is commonly used an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your computer’s hard drive.  Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our site.
Our website uses these cookies to collection information and to improve our Service. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies and know when a cookie is being sent to your computer. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.  Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information on our site. 

Service Providers

We may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:

  • To facilitate our Service;
  • To provide the Service on our behalf;
  • To perform Service-related services; or
  • To assist us in analyzing how our Service is used.

We want to inform our Service users that these third parties have access to your Personal Information. The reason is to perform the tasks assigned to them on our behalf. However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose.

Security

We value your trust in providing us your Personal Information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. We take necessary precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.
Wherever we collect sensitive information, that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the web page. While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. We urge you to be careful about giving out information in public areas of the Site like message boards. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personally Identifiable Information, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations of the Internet which are beyond our control; (b) the security, integrity and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this Site cannot be guaranteed; and (c) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with in transit by a third party.

Links to Other Sites

Our Service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of these websites. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Children’s Privacy

Our Services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13. In the case we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we will be able to do necessary actions.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, we advise you to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately, after they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective Date: 03/01/2021

This notice describes how medical and health information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information. Please review this notice carefully.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the right to:

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

  • You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
  • We will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct your medical record

  • You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
  • We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

  • You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
  • We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

  • You can ask us not to use or share certain health info/rmation for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
  • If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of our disclosures of your health information

  • You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for up to six (6) years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
  • We will include all of the disclosures we are required by law to include in an accounting. Except in certain circumstances, federal law generally does not require us to provide an accounting of disclosures made for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes, or for certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but, if permitted by the laws that apply to us, we will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this Notice of Privacy Practices

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

  • If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
  • We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action based on that person’s directions.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

If you believe we have violated your privacy rights, you have the right to:

  • Complain to us. Contact any staff member, a member of management onsite, or after exhausting those options the company compliance officer at: jeffy@silversandsrecovery.com
  • File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by:
  • A violation of the of federal Part 2 law and regulations is a crime. You may report a suspect violation of Part 2 to the United States Attorney at:

United States Attorney’s Office
District of Arizona
Two Renaissance Square
40 N. Central Avenue,
Suite 1800
Phoenix, AZ 85004-4449
Phone: (602) 514-7500

If the violation involves an opioid treatment program, the violation may also be reported to:
SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
Phone: 240-276-1660 ‖ Fax: 301-480-6596

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices regarding Your Health Information

Information about health care you receive from Silver Sands Recovery is protected by two federal laws:

  1. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, known as “HIPAA.” (42 U.S.C. § 1320d et seq., 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164) HIPAA covers protected health information, known as “PHI.”
  2. The federal law on the confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records, known as “Part 2.” (42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2, 42 C.F.R. Part 2)

The Part 2 law and regulations are more restrictive than HIPAA. When Part 2 applies, we follow Part 2’s more restrictive privacy protections.

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. Because we comply with the Part 2 law and regulations, there are very limited circumstances in which we may share your health information without your written consent to do so. In most circumstances we will ask you for your written permission before sharing health information.

However, as explained below, there might be circumstances where your health information is not protected by Part 2 but is protected by HIPAA. In these circumstances, we may use and disclosure such health information as permitted by HIPAA. However, if you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

You have both the right and choice under HIPAA to give us permission to:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care; and
  • Share information in a disaster-relief situation.

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest and, if applicable, permitted by Part 2. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety and, if applicable, will do so in compliance with Part 2 requirements.

Unless you give us written permission, we will never:

  • Use or disclose your information for marketing purposes;
  • Sell your information;

We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell us not to contact you again.

Unless you give us written permission, we generally will not share any psychotherapy notes relating to you (that is, your mental health professional’s impressions from your individual or group therapy sessions that are kept separate from the rest of your medical record).

How We Typically Use Your Health Information

We typically use your health information (including substance use disorder information) in the following ways:

To treat you

We can use your health information for purposes of providing treatment to you. 

Example: sharing information within the agency or by sharing information, when authorized, to outside providers such as PCP’s, labs, etc.

To run our organization

We can use your health information to run our business, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

How We Disclose Your Health Information

A Part 2 program may not say whether you are receiving services from the Part 2 program (or have received services) if doing so would reveal your substance use disorder. We will not disclose any information that identifies you as a patient of Silver Sands Recovery, as someone who has (or had in the past) a substance use disorder unless:

  • You consent to the disclosure in writing. Or your guardian (or other individual legally authorized to act on your behalf) consents to the disclosure.
  • The disclosure is allowed by court order.
  • The disclosure is to medical personnel in a medical emergency where your prior consent cannot be obtained.
  • The disclosure is to medical personnel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for product recalls.
  • The disclosure is to medical personnel when there is a temporary state of emergency declared as the result of a natural or major disaster (such as a wildfire or hurricane) and the Part 2 program is closed and unable to provide services or obtain your prior consent due to the emergency.
  • The disclosure is to a third-party payor (like your health plan) for payment purposes in circumstances where the Part 2 program director has consented on your behalf because your condition prevents you from knowing or taking effective action on your own behalf.
  • The disclosure is to the Part 2 program’s contractors who provide services to the Part 2 program and who agree to be bound by the privacy protections for substance use disorder information.
  • The disclosure is to organization(s) that have direct administrative control over the Part 2 program.
  • The disclosure is to qualified personnel for research, audit or program evaluation purposes.
  • The disclosure is for cause of death reporting or investigations permitted by state law.
  • The disclosure is for another purpose permitted by the Part 2 law or regulations (42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 C.F.R. Part 2).

Federal law and regulations do NOT protect any information about:

  • A crime committed by a patient on the premises of the Part 2 program, against Part 2 program personnel, or about any threat to commit such a crime.
  • Suspected child abuse or neglect from being reported under State law to appropriate State or local authorities.

If Part 2 does not apply to your health information, we may share that non-Part 2 information without your written consent in the following ways:

  • To treat you. We may share your health information with other professionals who are treating you.
  • For normal health care operations activities. We may share your health information to run our business and to the improve the care that is provided to patients.
  • To bill for your services. We may share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.

Other Ways We Use or Share Your Health Information

If Part 2 does not apply, we may be allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We provide a summary of those other purposes below. But we have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.[1] However, if Part 2 applies, we may not be allowed to share your health information in these ways unless we get your written consent.

Public health and safety issues

If Part 2 does not apply, we may share health information about you for certain public health situations (and if certain conditions are met), such as:

  • Preventing disease;
  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications;
  • Reporting suspected partner or elder abuse, neglect, or domestic violence; and
  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.

Research

We can use or share your information for health research if certain conditions are met.

Complying with the law

Unless Part 2 prevents us from making the disclosure, we will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with HIPAA.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

If Part 2 does not apply, we may share health information about you with organ procurement organizations (and if certain conditions are met).

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies (and if certain conditions are met).

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

If Part 2 does not apply, we may use or share health information about you (if certain conditions are met):

  • For workers’ compensation claims;
  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official;
  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law; and
  • For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

If Part 2 does not apply, we may share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Our Additional Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information and substance use disorder records.

We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this Notice, and give you a copy of the Notice.

We will not use or share your information other than as described in this Notice unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. If you change your mind, please let us know in writing.

Changes to this Notice

We reserve the right to change our privacy policy and practices, and the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices, at any time. Any changes to this Notice will apply to all information we have about you. Updated versions of this Notice will be available:

  1. Upon request;
  2. On our website; and
  3. Posted in our place of business.

For More Information

If you have any questions about this Notice, or how we handle your health information, please contact management on-site or if unable to resolve with management contact jeffy@silversandsrecovery.com

For more information about your privacy rights, please go to  www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html

[1] For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.