Privacy Policy

Valley Vista takes your privacy seriously and is absolutely committed to safeguarding your privacy online. Any communication with Valley Vista staff is confidential. Because Valley Vista gathers certain types of information from visitors to our sites, we have developed a privacy statement to help you understand the terms and conditions surrounding the collection and use of that information. This statement discloses the types of information we gather, how it is used, and how you can gain access to and edit any data that we’ve collected about you at any time.

Guiding Principles

Valley Vista respects the privacy of individuals who visit our Web sites, send us e-mail, or participate in features/services we offer online. Accordingly, our policy regarding online privacy has been developed using the following guiding principles:

Our treatment center maintains a strict “no-spam” policy. Subscribers to our e-mail services (or any other feature/service found on our Web site) will not receive unsolicited e-mail messages from us. Our treatment center collects information online primarily to provide our visitors with a more relevant experience on our sites. When doing so, we will make every reasonable effort to avoid excessive or irrelevant collection of data. Our treatment center will take reasonable physical, electronic and managerial measures to safeguard and secure any information you provide to us (e.g. data will be stored in protected databases on secured servers with restricted access). Valley Vista will not share any information you’ve provided to us with anyone without your consent other than to provide the service you’ve requested. At the time you register for any such service, you will be notified of, and asked to consent to, the sharing of your information with any particular third party necessary to the provision of the requested service.

Non-Personally Identifiable Data

Anytime you visit our Web site, we may gather certain non-personally identifiable information regarding the means you use to access our site. This information may include the type and version of your browser, your service provider, your IP address and any search engine you may have used to locate the site. We use this information to help diagnose problems with our server, administer the Web site, and compile broad statistical data. In addition, we gather certain navigational information about where you go on our Web sites. This information enables us to determine which areas of the Web sites are most frequently visited and helps us to tailor the sites to the needs and interests of our online visitors. Such information is gathered by us in the aggregate and will not be associated with a specific individual without that individual’s consent.

Information Voluntarily Provided

Any information you provide to us (i.e. name, e-mail address, etc.) when you enroll in one of our E-Mail Reminder Services, request information, or use any of the other interactive portions of our Web sites, is securely maintained on our Web server and internal systems. This information may be used to provide you with information you’ve requested about our company, our products and our services, or to provide you with special notices. You may opt out of receiving future communications at any time (see opt-out Procedures below). This data may also be used to tailor your experience on our sites by providing content that is relevant to your interests and geographic region.

Information Collected from Other Sources

To help us better understand and respond to your needs and interests, we may in the future receive information about you from other sources. We will ask any provider of such information to represent and warrant that the information has been gathered and maintained in accordance with all state and federal laws. Any such information will be maintained by us in accordance with the standards set forth in this privacy policy along with other personal information you’ve provided.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Valley Vista understands the importance of your privacy. We collect and maintain the personal information of our consumers for our use and our subsidiaries. We do not sell, rent, or trade consumer information to third parties, other than as described below, and never without your consent. Third parties may collect personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you use this website.

Business Partners

Valley Vista may partner with select retailers and other companies at various times to provide expanded services to our site visitors. As part of such a relationship, we may share with these companies the use of certain interactive Web site functions. Information provided by site visitors through the use of such interactive functions may be available to both our treatment center and our partners.

Agents

Valley Vista may use other companies and individuals to perform certain functions on our behalf. Examples include administering e-mail services and running special promotions. Such parties only have access to the personal information needed to perform these functions and may not use or store the information for any other purpose. Subscribers or site visitors will never receive unsolicited e-mail messages from agents working on our behalf.

Business Transfers

In the event that Valley Vista sells or transfers a particular portion of its business assets, consumer information may be one of the business assets transferred as part of the transaction. If substantially all of the assets of our treatment center are acquired, consumer information may be transferred as part of the acquisition.

Compliance with Law/Safety

Valley Vista may disclose specific personal information based on a good faith belief that such disclosure is necessary to comply with or conform to the law or that such disclosure is necessary to protect the users of our Web sites, the sites themselves, or the public.

With Consent

Other than as set forth in this Privacy Policy, you will be notified when any personally-identifiable information about you may be shared with third parties, and you will be given the opportunity to decline to share that information.

Use of Cookies

Our treatment center may use a browser feature known as a “cookie.” Cookies are small files placed on your hard drive that assist us in providing you with a customized browsing experience. Our treatment center uses cookies to provide you with the convenience of not having to reenter information, such as user IDs and passwords, multiple times during your visits to our Web sites. Cookies can also be utilized to help us provide you with information targeted to your interests, based upon your prior browsing on our Web sites. The “help” section of the toolbar on most browsers will inform you on how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you upon the receipt of a new cookie, or how to disable the use of cookies completely. Our Web sites have been designed to take advantage of the use of cookies. Should you configure your browser to decline their use, certain features of our Web sites may not function correctly and you may be required to renter any user IDs and passwords more frequently.

Accessing Our Web Sites from Outside of the United States

If you are visiting our Web site from a location outside of the U.S., your connection will be through and to servers located in the U.S. Any information you provide during your visit will be processed and maintained on our Web server and other internal systems located within the U.S.

External Links

Our Web sites contain links to other sites. Valley Vista is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. To help ensure the protection of your privacy, we recommend that you review the privacy policy of any site you visit via a link from one of our Web sites.

Passwords

The personal data record created through your registration with our Web site can only be accessed with the unique password associated with that record. To protect the integrity of the information contained in this record, you should not disclose or otherwise reveal your password to third parties.

Public Forums

Our Web sites may make chat rooms, forums, message boards, and/or news groups available to its users at various times. Please remember that, unless otherwise stated, any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information in these areas.

Opt-out Procedures

You may always opt-out of receiving future communications from Valley Vista. Our sites allow users to opt-out of receiving such communications at the point where personal information is requested, or through other means as identified.

Browser-Based Do Not Track

Some browsers incorporate a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that, when turned on, signals to websites and online services that you do not want to be tracked. Because there is not yet an accepted standard for how to respond to a DNT signal, we do not currently respond to DNT signals on this website or on websites where we provide advertisements, content, or other services.

Contacting the Web Sites

If you have questions concerning this Privacy Policy or the practices of these sites, you may contact us.

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

You have the right to:

• Get a copy of your paper or electronic medical record
• Correct your paper or electronic medical record

Request confidential communication

• Ask us to limit the information we share
• Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
• Get a copy of this privacy notice
• Choose someone to act for you
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

Your Choices

You have some choices in the way that we use and share information as we:

• Tell family and friends about your condition
• Provide mental health care
• Provide emergency care or communicate with emergency care and hospitals
• Market our services and sell your information
• Our Uses and Disclosures

We may use and share your information as we:

• Treat you
• Run our organization
• Bill for your services
• Comply with the law
• Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
• Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests
• Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

Your Rights

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

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
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 medical record

You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) 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 the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve 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, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

You can ask for 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 for you

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 on page 1.
You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we 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 an emergency situation
• If you are not able 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 or safety.

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

• Marketing purposes
• Sale of your information
• Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

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.
• Treat you
• We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you, including in emergency situations, when you might require hospitalization or are a potential threat to yourself or others.
  Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor 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 get 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 or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

Help with public health and safety issues

We can share health 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
• Do 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 with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re 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 with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.
• 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 here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: 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 the information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our web site.

Effective Date of this Notice is December 01, 2023.
We never market or sell personal information.
We will never share any substance abuse treatment records without your written permission.