Privacy Policy

At Gates Health Centre, we are committed to providing our clients with exceptional service.  As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our clients, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities.  

We will inform our clients of why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

This Policy outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting clients’ personal information.  Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our clients’ personal information and allowing our clients to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.

Scope of this Policy 

This Privacy Policy applies to Gates Health Centre and its affiliated physicians, nurses and healthcare staff. This policy also applies to any service providers collecting, using or disclosing personal information on behalf of Gates Health Centre.

Definitions

Personal Information –means information about an identifiable individual [ e.g.: name, date of birth, address, Health Card Number,  medical conditions, current medication profile, allergies, etc.] 

Contact information – means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number. 

Collecting Personal Information

Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the client, voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, before or at the time of collection.

We will only collect client information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:

·      To verify identity: we ask for the user’s name, birthday, Personal Health Number and to cross reference with the person’s valid ID card. 

·      To identify [client, customer, member] preferences

·      To open and manage an account if needed.

·      To contact or connect you with a health care provider

·      To ensure safety, appropriateness of the test

·      To meet regulatory requirements set by Public Health

·      To contact you for additional information, clarification, and providing information

·      To provide technical support or reply to inquires when requested by an individual

·      To collect and process payments

Consent

We will obtain client consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent).  Consent can be provided e.g., orally or electronically by clicking or it can be implied where the purpose for collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered.  Inquiring about allergies, medical conditions, current medication intake, etc and the client voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.  Consent may also be implied where a client is given notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt-out of his or her personal information being used for mail-outs, the marketing of new services or products, fundraising and the client does not opt-out.  Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), clients can withhold or withdraw their consent for Gates Health Centre to use their personal information in certain ways.  A client’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product.  If so, we will explain the situation to assist the client in making the decision.  We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the client’s knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:

·          When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law;

·          In an emergency that threatens an individual’s life, health, or personal security;

·          When we require legal advice from a lawyer;

·          For the purposes of collecting a debt;

·          To protect ourselves from fraud;

·          To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of law

Disclosing Personal Information

We will only use or disclose client personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection [or for a purpose reasonably related to those purposes such as: 

We will not disclose or transfer your personal information to a third party, except our affiliates, subsidiaries and business partners and associates who are involved in supporting our platform and providing services. Please note that such third parties have completely agreed to completely comply with all the privacy policies and legal standards set and to agree to use the information only for the purposes of providing their assigned duties. We will not use or disclose client, customer, member personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so. 

We will not sell client, customer, member lists or personal information to other parties
 

Retaining and Storing Personal Information

If we use client personal information to make a decision that directly affects the client we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the client has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it. We will retain client personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the bylaws and regulations. In our case, we retain, protect and store your information even after discontinuation of your service.