We are committed to promoting privacy and protecting the confidentiality of the personal information we hold about you.

Your Client Record

Your client record may include information relevant to your health including your date of birth, contact information, health history, family health history, details of your physical and mental health, record of your visits, the care or services and support you received during those visits, and information from other health care and service providers.

To better support the care and services of clients receiving youth mental health services, ROCK is collaborating with participating organizations to provide a shared database. The ROCK Database is used by and between select youth mental health organizations for purposes of making referrals and collaborating on care in a timely and secure way.

Participating organizations include:

  • Radius Child and Youth Services
  • Bob Rumball Canadian School of Excellence for the Deaf – PAH! Program
  • Woodview Mental Health and Autism Services
  • Nelson Youth Centres
  • ROCK

Your record is our property, but the information belongs to you.

With limited exceptions, you have the right to access the health and other personal information we hold about you, whether in the client record or elsewhere.

You can request a copy of your record. If you wish to view the original record, one of our staff members must be present. If you need a copy of your client record, please contact us in writing at: 471 Pearl Street, Burlington, ON L7R 4M4, or ask your clinician who will explain the process. A copy will be provided at a reasonable fee. In rare situations, you may be denied access to some or all of your record (with any such denial being in accordance with applicable law).

We try to keep your record accurate and up-to-date. Please let us know if you disagree with what is recorded, and in most cases we will be able to make the change or otherwise we will ask you to write a statement of disagreement and we will attach that statement to your record.

Confidentiality

Everyone here is bound by confidentiality. We have to protect your information from loss or theft and make sure no one looks at it or does something with your information if they are not involved with your care or services or allowed as part of their job. If there is a privacy breach, we will tell you (and we are required by law to tell you).

Our Practices

We collect, use and disclose (meaning share) your health information and other personal information to:

  • Treat and care for you
  • Provide services to you
  • Provide appointment or preventative care reminders to you and/or send client surveys to you
  • Update you of upcoming events, activities and programs
  • Coordinate your care with your other health care providers including through shared electronic health information systems such as other mental health service providers, your family physician, and local, regional and provincial programs
  • Deliver and evaluate our programs
  • Plan, administer and manage our internal operations
  • Be paid or process, monitor, verify or reimburse claims for payment
  • Detect, monitor or prevent fraud or any unauthorized receipt of services or benefits
  • Conduct risk management, error management and quality improvement activities
  • Educate our staff and students
  • Dispose of your information
  • Seek consent (or consent of a substitute decision maker) where appropriate
  • Respond to or initiate proceedings
  • Conduct research (subject to certain rules)
  • Compile statistics
  • Report to the government as required by law
  • Allow for the analysis, administration and management of the health system
  • Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
  • Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law

Our collection, use and disclosure (sharing) of your personal health information and other personal information is done in accordance with Ontario law.

Your Choices and Who Decides

You have a right to make choices and control how your health and other personal information is collected, used, and disclosed, subject to some limits.

You may make your own decisions if you are “capable”. You may be capable of making some information privacy decisions and not others. If you are not capable – you will have a substitute decision-maker who will make your information decisions for you. Who can act as a substitute decision-maker and what they have to do is also set out in law.

For children, there is no magic age when you become able to make your own decisions about your health information. If you are capable, you make your own decisions. However, if you are under the age of 16, there are some additional rules to know. If you are capable to make your own information decisions, your parent(s) or guardian will also be allowed to make some decisions about your health record. But they won’t be able to make decisions about any records about treatment or counseling where we asked for your permission alone. We encourage you to share information with your family to have supports you need. And we also encourage you to ask your clinician questions to find out more about privacy and your family.

We assume that when you come to have health care or other services from us, you have given us your permission (your consent) to use your information, unless you tell us otherwise. We may also collect, use and share your health information in order to talk with other health care providers about your care unless you tell us you do not want us to do so.

You have the right to ask that we not share some or all of your client record with one or more of our team members or ask us not to share your client record with one or more of your external health care providers (such as a specialist) or service providers. This is known as asking for a “lockbox”. If you would like to know more, please contact your clinician or our Privacy Officer at privacy@rockonline.ca. If you request restrictions on the use of and disclosure of your client record, a member of our team will explain your choices and potential repercussions for those options.

There are other cases where we are not allowed to assume we have your permission to share information. We may need permission to communicate with any family members or friends with whom you would like us to share information (unless someone is your substitute decision-maker). For example, we will also need your permission to give your information to your school. If you have questions, we can explain this to you.

When we require and ask for your permission, you may choose to say no. If you say yes, you may change your mind at any time. Once you say no, we will no longer share your information unless you say so. Your choice to say no may be subject to some limits.

BUT there are cases where we may collect, use or share your information without your permission, as permitted or required by law. For example, we do not require your permission to use your information for billing, risk management or error management, quality improvement purposes. We also do not need your permission to share your information to keep you or someone else safe (it’s called to eliminate or reduce a significant risk of serious bodily harm); or to meet reporting obligations under other laws such as for child safety.

For More Information or Complaints

If you would like a copy of our Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer to ask for a copy.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have about our privacy practices. You can reach our Privacy Officers at: privacy@rockonline.ca

If, after contacting us, you feel that your concerns have not been addressed to your satisfaction, you have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The Commissioner can be reached at:

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario may be contacted at:

2 Bloor St. East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8
Tel: 416-326-3333
Website: www.ipc.on.ca

Download Our Full Client Information Package