PERSAD's Notice of Privacy Practices:

(This Notice pertains to all Persad Programs as applicable under the HIPAA Privacy regulations and any other state and federal laws that govern your rights to confidentiality. Therefore, it is provided to all clients and/or legal guardians of children when appropriate.)

PERSAD CENTER HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO SAFEGUARD YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION.
We will protect the privacy of the health information we maintain that identifies you, whether it deals with the care, services, or treatment you receive or for the payment for your care services or treatment.

It is your right to know and our responsibility to inform you of your rights around the confidentiality of the information we hold about you including how, when and under what conditions we may use and disclose the information. We are committed to using or disclosing only the minimum necessary amount of information that is required to accomplish the purpose of the use or disclosure.

How Persad Center may use the information we have about you:
A. For purposes involving Treatment, Payment, or Healthcare Operations: We may, by federal law, use and disclose your health information for the following reasons:

• For Treatment: Persad Center provides group, individual and family/ couples counseling services for members of our community who are struggling with mental health, substance abuse/dependency, Gender issues, HIV issues, and their families or significant others. Because of the state and federal laws that govern the use of information about these issues, we will ask for your informed written consent before disclosing any protected health information to another service provider for treatment purposes. In regard to staff communications: access to protected health information among Persad staff is on a need to know basis.
  
• To Obtain Payment for Treatment: Again, HIPAA requires your written consent before we release any information regarding mental health concerns, drug or alcohol concerns, or HIV information. We will ask for your written consent to disclose information that we need to get paid for the care we provide for you. We will inform you of the information your insurance company requires and obtain your written consent to release information for the purpose of payment.
  
• For Health Care Operations: We may, at times, need to use and disclose your health information to run our organization. For example, we may use your health information to evaluate the quality of the treatment that our staff has provided to you. We may also need to provide some of your information to our attorneys and consultants to make sure that we are complying with the law. Any information concerning mental health disorders and / or treatment, drug and alcohol abuse and / or your HIV status, requires further limitation and we will abide by the appropriate laws.
  

B. Certain Other Uses and Disclosures are Permitted by Federal Law AND even in these cases, the only the minimum information necessary will be released.

NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE
The contents of Persad Center’s website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the website, are for informational purposes only and not intended to render advice or professional service. The information provided through this website should not be used for diagnosing or treating a mental health problem or other disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a mental health problem, you should consult a professional. Never disregard professional medical/mental health advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on Persad Center’s website.

Persad Center disclaims any liability whatsoever for any documentation, information, programs, or other material which is or may become a part of the website.