Privacy Notice - Emmaus Homes

Privacy NOTICE

Emmaus Homes is committed to maintaining your confidence and trust, and accordingly maintains the following privacy policy to protect personal information you provide online.

Commitment to Online Security
Physical, electronic and managerial procedures have been employed to safeguard the security and integrity of personal information. Financial information is encrypted whenever transmitted or received online. Personal information is accessible only by staff and designated volunteers. All Emmaus agents and contractors with access to personal information obtained on the Emmaus web site are also bound to adhere to this policy.

Personal Information that Emmaus May Collect Online
Emmaus collects the following types of personal information: names, postal and e-mail addresses, phone and facsimile numbers and billing information. Emmaus does not collect or maintain information from those actually known to be under the age of 13, and no part of our site is structured to attract anyone under the age of 13.

How Emmaus May Use Personal Information Collected Online
Emmaus will not use your personal information other than for the purpose for which it was submitted without your consent. We use personal information to maintain mailing lists for our newsletter and e-newsletter, for advocacy mailings and for event registrations. At certain points where personal information is collected on our site, there may be a box where you may indicate you would like to be on a list to receive information about other Emmaus programs and services and about ways to support the Emmaus mission. At any time you can add or remove your name from our mailing list by contacting us at info@emmaushomes.org.

How Your Information May Be Shared
Emmaus never sells or rents personal information. Text messaging opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third party.

Text Message Terms and Conditions
By submitting your cell phone number and checking “I want texts from Emmaus” you are agreeing to receive text messages from this organization. 4 msgs/month. Message and data rates may apply. Text HELP for more information. Text STOP to stop receiving messages.

Help Us Keep Your Personal Information Accurate
If your personal information changes or you would like to review the personal information we may have on file, please email us with the new information or your review request at info@emmaushomes.org.

Computer Tracking and Cookies
Our web site is not set up to track, collect or distribute personal information not entered by its visitors. Our site logs do generate certain kinds of non-identifying site usage data, such as the number of hits and visits to our site. This information is used for internal purposes by technical support staff to provide better services to the public and may also be provided to others, but again, the statistics contain no personal information and cannot be used to gather such information.

Problems
If you have a complaint about Emmaus’ compliance with this privacy policy, you may contact us at keylisa@emmaushomes.org. 

Title VI Notice

Notifying the Public of Rights under Title VI
Emmaus Homes, Inc. (“Emmaus”) posts Title VI notices on our agency’s website and in public areas of our agency.
Emmaus operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, or national origin, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.If you believe you have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin by Emmaus, you may file a Title VI / ADA complaint by completing, signing, and submitting the agency’s Title VI / ADA Complaint Form.
For additional information related to Emmaus’ nondiscrimination obligations, please contact the Emmaus Corporate Compliance Officer at 636-534-5215.

How to file a Title VI / ADA complaint with Emmaus:

  1. Complaint Forms may be obtained online at www.emmaushomes.org, in-person at Emmaus’ corporate office located at 3731 Mueller Road, St. Charles, Missouri 63301, or by calling 636-534-5200.
  2. In addition to the complaint process at Emmaus, complaints may be filed directly with the Federal Transit Administration Office of Civil Rights, Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator, East Building, 5th Floor – TCR, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
  3. Complaints must be filed within 180 days following the date of the alleged discriminatory occurrence and should contain as much detailed information about the alleged discrimination as possible.
  4. The form must be signed and dated, and include your contact information. If information is needed in another language, contact 636-534-5200.

Title VI / ADA Complaint Form

 

Procedures for Filing a Title VI / ADA Complaint
The complaint procedures apply to the beneficiaries of Emmaus’ programs, activities, and services.

RIGHT TO FILE A COMPLAINT: Any person who believes they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin by Emmaus may file a Title VI / ADA complaint by completing and submitting the agency’s Title VI / ADA Complaint Form. Title VI / ADA complaints must be received in writing within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory complaint.

HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT: Information on how to file a Title VI / ADA complaint is posted on our agency’s website, and in public areas of our agency. You may download the Emmaus Title VI / ADA Complaint Form by clicking here.
or request a copy by writing to Emmaus Homes, Inc., Attention: Corporate Compliance Officer, 3731 Mueller Road, St. Charles, MO 63301. Information on how to file a Title VI / ADA complaint may also be obtained by calling Emmaus’ corporate compliance officer at 636-534-5215.

You may file a signed, dated complaint no more than 180 days from the date of the alleged incident. The complaint should include:
– Your name, address and telephone number.
– Specific, detailed information (how, why and when) about the alleged act of discrimination.
– Any other relevant information, including the names of any persons, if known, the agency should contact for clarity of the allegations.

Please submit your complaint form to Emmaus Homes, Inc., Attention: Corporate Compliance Officer, 3731 Mueller Road, St. Charles, MO 63301.

COMPLAINT ACCEPTANCE: Emmaus will process complaints that are complete. Once a completed Title VI / ADA Complaint Form is received, Emmaus will review it to determine if Emmaus has jurisdiction. The complainant will receive an acknowledgement letter informing them whether or not the complaint will be investigated by Emmaus.

INVESTIGATIONS: Emmaus will generally complete an investigation within 90 days from receipt of a completed complaint form. If more information is needed to resolve the case, Emmaus may contact the complainant. Unless a longer period is specified by Emmaus, the complainant will have ten (10) days from the date of the letter to send requested information to the Emmaus investigator assigned to the case. If the requested information is not received within that timeframe the case will be
closed. Also, a case can be administratively closed if the complainant no longer wishes to pursue the case.

LETTERS OF CLOSURE OR FINDING: After the Title VI investigator reviews the complaint, the Title VI investigator will issue one of two letters to the complainant: a closure letter or letter of finding (LOF).
– A closure letter summarizes the allegations and states that there was not a Title VI violation and that the case will be closed.
– A Letter of Finding (LOF) summarizes the allegations and provides an explanation of the corrective action taken.

If the complainant disagrees with Emmaus’ determination, the complainant may request reconsideration by submitting the request in writing to the Title VI investigator within seven (7) days after the date of the letter of closure or letter of finding, stating with specificity the basis for the reconsideration. Emmaus will notify the complainant of the decision either to accept or reject the request for reconsideration within ten (10) days. In cases where reconsideration is granted, Emmaus will issue a determination letter to the complainant upon completion of the reconsideration review.

A person may also file a complaint directly with the Federal Transit Administration, at the FTA Office of Civil Rights, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.

If information is needed in another language, contact Emmaus at 3731 Mueller Road, St. Charles, MO 63301, or at 636-534-5200.

Notice of Privacy practices

Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) for Emmaus Homes, Inc. Clients and Guardians.  This NPP is directed toward all Emmaus
Homes clients and their guardians. Therefore, “you” refers to Emmaus Homes’ clients and/or guardians.

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

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

 

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities in supporting you.

Receive an electronic or paper copy of your health information records

  • You can request to see or receive an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you.
  • 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 health information records

  • You can ask us to correct health information about you that you feel is incorrect or incomplete.
  • We may say “no” to your request, but we will explain why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

  • You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, office phone, personal e-mail, etc.) 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 information 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 payment or our operations with your health insurer.
    • We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Receive a list of those with whom we have shared information

  • You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
  • We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Receive a copy of this privacy notice

  • You can request 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 on your behalf

  • 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.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

  • You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting us using the information listed at the end of this notice.
  • You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights:
    • By sending a letter to: US Dept. of Health and Human Services for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201
    • By calling 1-877-696-6775
    • Or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hippa/complaints.
  • We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

 

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us how you want us to share. 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.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

  • Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care
  • Share information in a disaster relief situation
If you are unable 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. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health and/or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

  • Marketing purposes
  • Most sharing of counseling notes

In the of fundraising:

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

 

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:

  • Healthcare – We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.
    Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks us about your overall health condition.
  • Run our organization – We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
    Example: We use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.
  • Bill for your services – We can use and share your health information to bill and receive payment from health plans or other entities.
    Example: We give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

 

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed and/or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways contributing to the public good, such as public health and research. We must meet many conditions of the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

    • Help with public health and safety issues – We can share heal information about you for certain situations such as:
  • Preventing disease
  • Helping with product recalls
  • Reporting adverse reactions to medications
  • Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
  • Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety
    • Research – We can use or share your information for health research.
    • Comply with the law –We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including the Department of Health and Human Services if wanting to see we are complying with federal privacy law.
    • Respond to organ and tissue donation requests – We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
    • Work with a medical examiner or funeral director– We can share health information about you with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director at the time of your death.
    • Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests – We can use or share health information about you:
  • For workers’ compensation claims
  • For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official
  • With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law
  • For special government functions, such as military, national security, and presidential protective services
  • Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
    • We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

 

Our Responsibilities

  • We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
  • 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 it.
  • We will not use or share your information other than as described in this notice, unless you give us approval in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time as long as you communicate this in writing.

For more information see: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html

 

Changes to the Terms of this Notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.

 

Additional Information For This Notice

    • We never market or sell the personal information of our clients.
    • We do not maintain a client directory for public access.
    • If you wish to exercise any of your rights listed in this notice, file a complaint, or obtain further information about our privacy policies, you should contact our privacy officer:
    Erika Rodriguez
    Vice President of Operations
    3731 Mueller Rd
    St. Charles, MO 63301
    636-534-5215
    rodrigueze@emmaushomes.org