88 cents out of every dollar supports community services for people in need. Learn More.

Notice of Privacy Practices

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

If you have questions about this notice, please contact Vickie Sylvester, Privacy Compliance Officer, at (605) 444-6328.

Volunteers of America, Dakotas provides many types of services, such as health and social services, to the client/participants we serve. We must collect information about you to provide these services. We also create a record of the care and services you receive from us. We need this information to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements.

Volunteers of America, Dakotas knows that information we collect about you and your health is private. We are required by Federal and State law to protect this information. We are committed to protecting the privacy of the client/participants we serve.

This Notice of Privacy Practices will tell you how Volunteers of America, Dakotas may use or disclose information about you. This Notice also describes your rights to information we keep about you and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of this information.

Volunteers of America, Dakotas is required by law to give you this notice of our privacy practices for the information we collect and keep about you and to follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose your health information.

For Treatment. We may use health information about you to provide you with health care treatment or services. We may disclose health information about you to health care providers involved in your care. They may work at our offices or at the office of another health care provider to whom we may refer you for other treatment purposes. For example, if you are pregnant we may provide health information to a nurse midwife or physician who is caring for you.

For Payment. We may use and disclose health information about you to get payment for the health care services you receive from us. For example, we may need to provide information about health care services you received from us to bill your health plan for health care provided to you.

For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose health information about you in order to manage operations of our program and activities. For example, we may use health information to review the quality of the services you receive.

Health-Related Service and Treatment Alternatives. We may use and disclose health information about you to tell you about health-related services or recommend possible treatment alternatives. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive this information, or if you wish to receive this information at a different address.

Fundraising Activities. Volunteers of America, Dakotas is a nonprofit organization, and we may use certain information (name, address, telephone number, dates of service, age, and gender) to contact you or your family members in the future to raise money for Volunteers of America, Dakotas. The money raised will be used to expand and improve the services and programs we provide the community.

Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the armed forces or separated/discharged from military services, we may release health information about you as required by military command authorities or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Workers' Compensation. We may release health information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs. These programs provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health Risks. We may disclose health information about you for public health activities, such as:

  • to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability;
  • to report births and deaths;
  • to report child abuse or neglect
  • to report reactions to medications or problems with products
  • to notify people of recalls of products they may be using
  • to notify a person or organization required to receive information on FDA-regulated products;
  • to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
  • to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a client/participant has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

To Avoid Harm. We may use and disclose health information about you to law enforcement when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of the public or another person.

Health Oversight Activities. We may disclose health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

Coroners, Health Examiners, and Funeral Directors. We may release health information to a coroner or health examiner, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release health information about patients to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Lawsuits and Disputes. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose health information about you in response to a court or an administrative order. We may also disclose health information about you in response to a subpoena or other lawful process by someone else involved in a dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

As Required By Law and For Law Enforcement. We will disclose health information about you when required or permitted by federal, state, or local law. We may also release health information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:

  • in reporting certain injuries, as required by law, such as gunshot wounds, burns, or injuries to perpetrators of crime;
  • in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
  • to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person:
  • about the victim of a crime if the victim agrees to disclosure or under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement;
  • about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct
  • about criminal conduct at our facility or programs; and
  • in emergency circumstances to report a crime, the location of a crime or victims; or the identity, description, or location of the person who committed the crime.

National Security and Intelligence Activities. We may release health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

Inmates. If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release health information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

Disclosures to Family, Friends, and Others. We may disclose information to your family or other persons involved in your medical care. You have the right to object to the sharing of this information.

Facility Directory. While you are staying at one of our program facilities, we may include your name, location in the building, and your general condition in a facility directory. We may disclose this information to those who ask for you by name, or to clergy. If you prefer not to have this information included in our facility directory, or given out to anyone, simply let us know.

YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

You have the following rights regarding health information we maintain about you:

Right to See and Get Copies of Your Records. In most cases, you have the right to look at or get copies of your health and billing records. This does not include psychotherapy notes. You must make your request in writing. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies and services associated with your request.

In limited circumstances, we may deny your request to see or get copies of your records. If you are denied access to health information, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by Volunteers of America, Dakotas will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

Right to Request a Correction of Update of Your Records. You may ask us to change or add missing information to your records if you think there is a mistake. You must make the request in writing, and provide a reason for the request. All requests must be limited to one page of paper legibly handwritten or typed in at least 10 point font size. We may deny your request if it is not in writing or does not include a reason for the request.

We may also deny your request if you ask us to change information that:

  • is accurate and complete;
  • is not part of the information you are permitted to inspect and copy;
  • was not created by us, unless the person or organization that created the information is no longer available to make the change; or
  • is not part of the health information kept by or for our programs.

Any changes we make to your health information will be disclosed to those with whom we disclose information, as described above.

Right to Get a List of Disclosures. You have the right to ask us for a list of any disclosures of your health information we have made. Your request must be made in writing. We are not required to account for disclosures made before April 14, 2003, or for any period longer than 6 years. The first list you request within a 12-month period will be free. Fees will be charged for the cost of providing additional lists. We will mail you a list of disclosures in paper form within 30 days of your request, or notify you if we are unable to supply the list within that time period.

Right to Request Limits on Uses or Disclosures of Health Information. You have the right to ask that we limit how your information is used or disclosed. You also have the right to ask that we limit the health information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care, such as a family member or friend. For example, you may ask us not to disclose information to your spouse about treatment you receive in our care.

You must make the request in writing. You must tell us what information you want to limit and to whom you want the limits to apply. We are not required to agree to the restriction. You can request that any restrictions you put in place be terminated in writing or verbally.

Right to Choose How We Communicate With You. You have the right to ask that we share information with you in a certain way or at a certain place. For example, you may ask us to send information to your work address instead of a home address. You must make this request in writing. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Right to a Get Paper Copy of this Notice. You have to ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time. Current copies of this notice will also be available at all times at each of our program sites.

Right to File a Complaint. You have the right to file a complaint if you do not agree with how we have used or disclosed information about you.

Other Uses of Health Information

Other uses and disclosures of health information not covered by this notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written authorization. If you provide us with authorization to use or disclose health information about you, you may revoke that authorization, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made pursuant to your authorization, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.

How to contact Volunteers of America, Dakotas to review, correct, or limit your health information:

You may contact Vickie Sylvester, Volunteers of America, Dakotas HIPAA Compliance Officer, or you may contact the administrator of the program where you are receiving services from Volunteers of America, Dakotas at the address listed below to:

  • Ask to look at or copy your records
  • Ask to limit how information about you is used or disclosed
  • Ask to cancel your authorization
  • Ask to correct or change your records
  • Ask for a list of the times Volunteers of America, Dakotas disclosed information about you.

Vickie Sylvester, HIPAA Compliance Officer
1309 W. 51st Street, PO Box 89306
Sioux Falls, SD 57109-9306
(605) 444-6328

Volunteers of America, Dakotas may deny your request to look at, copy, or change your records. If we deny your request, we will send you a letter that tells you why your request is being denied and how you can ask for review of the denial. You will also receive information about how to file a complaint with Volunteers of America, Dakotas or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.

How to file a complaint or report a problem:

If you do not agree with how we have used or disclosed information about you, you may contact us at the address listed below to file a complaint or report a problem. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at the address below. The services you receive from us will not be affected by any complaints you make. Volunteers of America, Dakotas cannot retaliate against you for filing a complaint, cooperating in an investigation, or refusing to agree to something that you believe to be unlawful.

To file a complaint or report a problem to Volunteers of America, Dakotas, contact:

Vickie Sylvester, HIPAA Compliance Officer
1309 W. 51st Street, PO Box 89306
Sioux Falls, SD 57109-9306
(605) 444-6328
Fax: (605) 335-5514

To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contact:

Office for Civil Rights
Medical Privacy, Complaint Division
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW, HHH Building, Room 509H
Washington, DC 20201

Changes to this Notice

Volunteers of America, Dakotas reserves the right to change this notice. Any changes will apply to health information we already have about you, as well as any information we receive in the future. A current copy of this notice will be posted at each of our program sites and facilities and provided as required by law. You may also ask for a copy of the current notice any time you visit one of our facilities.