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Privacy Policy

Privacy of personal information is a priority at ALAViDA Health Ltd. (“ALAViDA”). We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing Personal Information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the goods and services we provide. We strive to provide quality care and we collect, use, retain, and dispose of your personal information in compliance with federal and provincial privacy legislation and applicable professional regulations. 

We will be as open and transparent as possible about the way we handle your personal information. ALAViDA provides certain management and administrative services to various professional entities and ALAViDA itself does not provide professional medical services. ALAViDA offers online services enabling members to learn about their health and engage with care professionals (“Care Team”) to obtain healthcare services (the “Services”). All staff members who come in contact with your Personal Information have signed a confidentiality form and are aware of the sensitive nature of the information that you have disclosed to us. They are trained in the appropriate use and protection of your information. 

ALAViDA ensures that only necessary information is collected about you. We only share your information with your consent or as otherwise required or permitted by law. Storage, retention, and destruction of your Personal Information comply with existing provincial and federal legislation, and privacy protection protocols. 

Date Last Modified: November 3, 2023 

 

WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION? 

“Personal Information” is information about identifiable individuals. The following are example of types of Personal Information collected by ALAViDA for the purposes described below: 

  • Biographical information (e.g., name, email, and telephone number);
  • Mental health status (e.g., substance use patterns, depression severity);  
  • Any additional information that may be shared with the Care Team;
  • If applicable, payment and financial information, including insurance policy information.

HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION 

ALAViDA collects Personal Information from users who visit our website and agree to our Services. For example, we collect Personal Information in the following ways: 

  • When an individual contacts us through our Website; 
  • When an individual meets with a member of the Care Team; 
  • When an individual enters information on the Website (e.g., journal entries, practice exercises, questionnaires).

WHY WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION – PRIMARY PURPOSES: 

We collect, use and disclose Personal Information to serve our members. The primary purpose for collecting Personal Information is to provide services. We also collect Personal Information to obtain a baseline of information so we can identify changes that occur over time. The most common examples of our primary purposes for collecting Personal Information are as follows: 

  • To obtain a baseline of information so we can identify changes that occur over time; 
  • To assess your concerns, advise you of options, and provide quality care;
  • To establish and maintain contact with you; 
  • When applicable, to invoice members for goods or services, to process credit card payments, or to collect unpaid accounts as well as process payments, including from third-party insurers; 
  • To communicate with other treating healthcare providers, with your consent, where required;

WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO SECONDARY PURPOSES 

Like most organizations, we also collect, use and disclose information for secondary purposes, including: 

  • Review for the purpose of ensuring high-quality services, including assessing the performance of our staff for continuing quality improvement;
  • When applicable, processing third-party payments (e.g., when a private insurance provider is reimbursing the costs of services). In these cases, third-party payers have consent or legislative authority to direct us to collect and disclose to them certain information in order to demonstrate entitlement to this funding; 
  • Research and development purposes, in which case the information collected is de-identified and aggregated, meaning it does not personally identify you, but instead shows general trends. Examples include, reporting the number of Service users and for commercial use to enhance and expand upon our Services. 

COOKIES AND USAGE DATA 

ALAViDA may also collect certain information from users of the Website, such as Internet addresses, time spent logged into the Services and other usage data. This information is logged to help diagnose technical problems, and to administer our Website and Services in order to constantly improve the quality of the Services.  

PROTECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION 

We understand the importance of protecting Personal Information. For that reason, we have taken the following steps: 

  • All employees and subcontractors are required to sign a confidentiality agreement. 
  • All computers and other electronic devices used to access personal information are password-protected for specific users with an appropriate level of security. 
  • Electronic software is compliant with industry standards. 
  • Paper information is transmitted through sealed, addressed envelopes or boxes with services provided by reputable companies. 
  • Staff are trained to collect, use and disclose personal information only as necessary to fulfill their duties and in accordance with our privacy policy. 
  • External consultants and agencies with access to personal information must enter into privacy agreements with us. 

LIMITS OF CONFIDENTIALITY AND DUTY TO WARN 

Information that is discussed with your Care Team is confidential, and is not shared without your written permission, with exceptions. These exceptions include: 

If disclosure is necessary to protect against a clear and substantial risk of imminent serious harm being inflicted by the member on him or herself, or on another individual. This includes, but is not limited to: 

  1. a) Situations in which a member appears to be impaired as the result of alcohol or drugs, and then attempts to operate a motor vehicle, go to a safety-sensitive job, or take any other action in which such impairment could put themselves or others at risk of significant harm. In such cases, we may have a legal duty to breach confidentiality and warn the authorities and/or the member’s employer, Regulatory College, that the individual may be at risk of putting themselves and/or others in danger
    b) Imminent suicide risk
    c) Homicide risk to an identified third party or parties 

If disclosure is necessary to protect an identifiable child, consistent with applicable law.

If disclosure is necessary to protect a vulnerable adult who by virtue of condition or circumstance is unable to seek support or assistance for abuse or neglect, consistent with applicable law.

Disclosure is in accordance with any other lawful requirement to do so (e.g., if records are subpoenaed by a court of law).

These limits to confidentiality include any information shared in a virtual (video or telephone) session with your Care Team, as well as any information that is shared within the virtual care platform (TRAiL platform) such as phone messages, emails, texts, chats, journal/diary entries, and homework assignments. Information is shared between the Care Team at ALAViDA Health Ltd. for the purposes of quality care, as outlined in the Privacy Policy. 

RETENTION AND DESTRUCTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

ALAViDA retained personal information for a set duration in accordance with stipulations set forth by external regulatory bodies. We keep our members’ files for ten years according to regulations set forth by professional licensing bodies. We destroy paper files containing personal information by shredding. We destroy electronic information by deleting it and, when the hardware is discarded, we ensure that the hard drive is physically destroyed. 

STORAGE LOCATION AND TRANSFER OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

Any information voluntarily provided to ALAViDA over the website, such as through our contact forms, by a non-registered user will be stored in Canada. By submitting information, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing of your Personal Information in Canada. You acknowledge and agree that your Personal Information may be accessible to law enforcement and governmental agencies in those countries under lawful access regimes or court order. 

DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES 

We may from time to time employ other companies and people to perform tasks on our behalf and need to share Personal Information with them to provide our services to you and improve our services. Unless we tell you differently, such third parties do not have any right to use the Personal Information we share with them beyond what is necessary to assist us. This includes third party companies and individuals employed by us to facilitate our services, including the provision of maintenance services, database management and general improvement of the Services, and businesses who engage our Services (to the extent provided for above). 

If we (or substantially all of our assets) are acquired, or if we go out of business, enter bankruptcy, or go through some other change of control, Personal Information may be made available or otherwise transferred to the new controlling entity, where permitted under applicable law. 

If we need to use or disclose any Personal Information in a way not identified in this Privacy Statement, we will notify you and/or obtain your express consent as required under applicable privacy laws. 

ACCESS, CORRECTION AND ACCURACY 

You have the right to access the Personal Information we hold about you in order to verify the Personal Information we have collected in respect to you and to have a general account of our uses of that information. Upon receipt of your written request, we will provide you with a copy of your Personal Information, although in certain limited circumstances, and as permitted under law, we may not be able to make all relevant information available to you, such as where that information also pertains to another user or we believe that personal information may pose an imminent risk of harm to yourself or others. In such circumstances we will provide reasons for the denial to you upon request. We will endeavor to deal with all requests for access and modifications in a timely manner. 

We will make every reasonable effort to keep your Personal Information accurate and up to date, and we will provide you with mechanisms to update, correct, delete or add to your Personal Information as appropriate. As appropriate, this amended Personal Information will be transmitted to those parties to which we are permitted to disclose your information. Having accurate Personal Information about you enables us to give you the best possible service. 

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY 

We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time. Use of Personal Information we collect is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time such information is collected, used or disclosed. If we make material changes or changes in the way we use Personal Information, we will notify you by posting an announcement on our website or sending you an email prior to the change becoming effective. You are bound by any changes to the Statement when you use the Website after such changes have been first posted. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Questions regarding this Privacy Policy or ALAViDA’s privacy practices should be directed to our Privacy Officer, who can be reached at: clientservice@alavida.com 

Attn: Privacy Officer
Alavida Health Ltd.
422 Richards St, Suite 170
Vancouver BC
V6B 2Z4 Canada