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Your Information.
Your Rights.
Our Responsibilities.
In the following sections, we’ll explain how we
use and disclose your health information, outline
your rights, and describe our responsibilities. We
encourage you to take a few minutes to review
this information carefully.
Who We Are
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
This Notice of Privacy Practices (“Notice”) describes how your protected health information (PHI)
may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information, as required by the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other laws. Please review
it carefully.
This single Notice applies to all departments and programs within Alameda County Health (AC
Health), an agency of the County of Alameda and a HIPAA-covered entity. AC Health includes the
following departments and programs: Behavioral Health (Mental Health and Drug Medi-Cal
Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) Health Plans), Public Health, Environmental Health, and
additional services such as Healthcare for Homeless, Homelessness and Housing Services,
Emergency Medical Services, Healthy Schools and Communities, Health PAC, and Social Health
Information Exchange (SHIE).
AC Health may share your protected health information (PHI) with individuals and organizations
known as Business Associates and Qualified Service Organizations who perform essential services
on our behalf. These include administrative support services such as data analysis, billing or
claims processing, accreditation, auditing, laboratory services, information technology, as well as
direct clinical services provided under contract through our health plans or other approved service
arrangements. While providing these services, Business Associates may also collect, create, or
receive PHI and share it with AC Health as necessary to support care delivery, coordination,
payment, or operations. All Business Associates are legally and contractually required to protect
your PHI and may only use or disclose it as permitted under HIPAA and their agreement with AC
Health.
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Your Information:
Our Uses and Disclosures
We generally use and disclose (share) your health information to provide treatment (to care for you),
process payment (to bill for your services), and support healthcare operations (to run our
organization).
Treat You To provide you with medical, behavioral health (mental health and
substance use disorder), or dental care and coordinate your treatment
across our programs and share it with other professionals who are treating
you.
Example: A behavioral health provider may work with your primary
care provider to ensure your treatment plan supports both your
mental and physical health needs.
Bill For Your Services We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from
Medi-Cal, Medicare, health plans or other insurance carriers.
Example: We give information about you to your health insurance
plan so it will pay for your services.
Run Our
Organization
We can use and share your health information to operate our programs,
improve your care, and contact you when necessary.
Example: We may use health information about you to manage your
treatment and services, for quality improvement, or staff training.
Substance Use
Disorder (SUD)
Treatment Records
(42 CFR Part 2
Protections)
Some records about substance use treatment are specifically protected
under federal law (42 CFR Part 2). These rules now work with HIPAA so that
your health care team can share information safely to help coordinate your
care while keeping it private. How we may use and disclose your SUD
treatment information depends on the type of consent you have given:
• General consent: If you have given us general permission, we may use
and share your SUD records for treatment, payment, or healthcare
operations (TPO). This lets us share your information with other health
care providers and organizations involved in your care.
• Consent for another purpose: If you give us permission for a different
purpose, we may use and disclose your SUD treatment records only in
ways you allow.
• Without your consent: If you have not given permission, we will only
share your SUD records in the ways permitted by 42 CFR Part 2.
Care Coordination
and CalAIM
Programs
We participate in California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), a
program that helps coordinate care for Medi-Cal members with complex
needs. As part of this effort, we may share your health information with
other approved providers and organizations involved in your care, such as
health plans, community-based organizations, housing providers, or
behavioral health providers, to better coordinate service through programs
like Enhanced Care Management (ECM) or Community Supports. This
sharing happens only as allowed by law and only when necessary to
support your treatment and services.
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Additional Uses and Disclosures: We may also use or disclose your health information for the
following purposes as allowed or required by law.
Public Health and
Safety Issues
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
• Preventing disease, injury or disability
• Reporting births and deaths
• 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 share health information with third parties for research purposes.
Comply With the Law We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it,
including with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if it
wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.
Organ and Tissue
Donation Requests
We can share health information about you with organ procurement
organizations.
Health Oversight We can use or share your health information with health oversight agencies
for activities authorized by law.
Coroner,
Medical Examiner, or
Funeral Director
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or
funeral director when an individual dies.
Workers’
Compensation
We can use or share health information about you for workers’
compensation claims.
Government
Requests and
Law Enforcement
We can use or disclose your health information with health oversight
agencies for activities authorized by law; for special functions such as
military or national security activities, or to protect the President and other
authorized persons; and in limited circumstances, for law enforcement
purposes or with a law enforcement official.
Inmates If you are in custody of a correctional institution or law enforcement official,
we may disclose your health information for your health and safety, the
health and safety of others, or for the administration and safety of the
facility.
Serious and
Imminent Threats
We may disclose your health information when needed to lessen a serious
or imminent threat to the health or safety of you, the public, or another
person.
Lawsuits and Legal
Actions
We can disclose health information about you in response to a court or
administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.
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Your Rights Under
California Law
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.
Access Your Records You can ask to see or get 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.
Request
Amendments
You can ask us to correct health information you believe is incorrect or
incomplete. We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in
writing within 60 days.
Request Restrictions You may request restrictions on the use or disclosure of your health
information, though we may not be able to agree in all cases.
Request
Confidential
Communication
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. You must make this request in writing, and you must
tell us how or where you wish to be contacted.
Receive an
Accounting of
Disclosures
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 healthcare operations, and certain other
disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one
accounting a year for free but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if
you ask for another one within 12 months.
Get a Paper 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 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 believe your privacy rights were violated, you can file a complaint with
us by calling 510-618-3333 or email us at
ACHealth.Compliance@acgov.org
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to:
HHS Office for Civil Rights
90 7th Street, Suite 4-100 | San Francisco, CA 94103
By Phone: 1800-368-1019
Online www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
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Your Rights Under
California Law
Your Choices
Some of your health information is subject to special protection under California law because it is
considered sensitive information. This includes information related to HIV test results; substance
use treatment; mental health; genetic testing; reproductive health services (including abortion-
related care); and gender-affirming care. We may use or share this information within AC Health and
with our business associates when needed to treat you, bill for your care, or run our organization.
When required by law, we will obtain your written authorization before making other types of
disclosures.
Youth and Minor Confidentiality Rights: In some circumstances, we are permitted or required to
deny access to a parent or guardian of a minor. For example:
o When minors legally consent, we will not share their information with parents or guardians
without the minor’s written permission, unless required or permitted by law (e.g., court
order, medical emergency, mandated reporting).
o Minor ages 12 and older can consent to certain sensitive services, including mental health,
substance use disorder treatment, reproductive health services, HIV/STI testing and
treatment.
o Minors can request that we send communication (e.g., test results, bills) to a different
address, phone number, or email to protect their privacy. This is called a confidential
communications request, and we are required to honor it.
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 a disaster relief situation.
• Have us communicate with you in a specific way (e.g., phone, email,
office address, etc.).
• Ask us not to share your information with your health plan about a
service you paid for out-of-pocket in full.
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
will not share your
information unless
you give us written
• Marketing purposes.
• Sale of your information.
• Most sharing of psychotherapy and SUD counseling notes.
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Our Responsibilities
permission: • We will not share your SUD treatment record, or any testimony about it,
in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against
you, unless you have authorized the use or disclosure by consent, or a
court has ordered it after providing you notice.
Even if you have given us written permission, you may revoke it in writing at
any time.
In the case of
fundraising or media
campaign
• We may contact you for fundraising or media campaign efforts, but you
can tell us not to contact you again.
• 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 visit:
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.
Effective Date of Notice: 2013
Revised: Aug 2017; June 2022; Nov. 2025