Notice of Privacy Practices of Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center

 

This notice describes:

 

You have a right to a copy of this notice (in paper or electronic form) and to discuss it with the Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center Compliance Officers at 866-801-0085 or HIPAA@cfrhelps.org if you have any questions.

 

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.

 

General Information

Information regarding your health care, including payment for health care, is protected by state and federal laws. These laws include: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), 42 U.S.C § 1320d et seq., 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164, 42 U.S.C § 290dd-2, 42 CFR Part 2, and Iowa Code Ch. 228. Under these laws, Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center may not say to a person outside of Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center that you attend the program; disclose any information identifying you as having been diagnosed with or receiving services related to a mental health, substance use, or gambling disorder; or disclose any other protected information except as permitted by state and federal law.

 

Uses and Disclosures

Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center will only use and disclose your protected information as described in this notice or with your written consent.

 

We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities under HIPAA, however if the program involves substance use records protected under 42 CFR Part 2 then we must obtain your written consent before we can disclose information about you for payment purposes.

 

Generally, you must also sign a written consent before Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center can share information for treatment purposes or for health care operations. However, federal law permits Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center to disclose information without your written permission under the following circumstances:

 

 

For example, Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center can disclose information without your consent to obtain legal or financial services or to another medical facility to provide health care to you, as long as there is a qualified service organization/business associate agreement in place.

 

Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center must obtain your written consent before it can use or disclose protected health information for marketing purposes.

 

Before Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center can use or disclose any information about your health in a manner which is not described above, it must first obtain your specific written consent allowing it to make the disclosure. For example, Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center must obtain your written consent before disclosing your information to a family member. A patient may provide a single consent for all future uses or disclosures for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes.

 

You may revoke your consent at any time except to the extent that Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center has already acted in reliance upon it. Consent may be revoked by contacting a Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center staff member in writing or you may request a reasonable accommodation for an alternative revocation process by contacting a Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center staff member at 866-801-0085.

 

If you were mandated to substance use treatment through the criminal legal system (including drug court, probation, or parole) and you sign a consent authorizing disclosures to elements of the criminal legal system such as the court, probation officers, parole officers, prosecutors, or other law enforcement, your right to revoke consent may be more limited and should be clearly explained on the consent you sign.

 

Records that are disclosed to a Part 2 program, covered entity, or business associate pursuant to your written consent for treatment, payment, and health care operations may be further disclosed by that Part 2 program, covered entity, or business associate, without the patient's written consent, to the extent the HIPAA regulations permit such disclosure.

 

Substance use treatment records, or testimony relaying the content of such records, shall not be used or disclosed in any civil, administrative, criminal, or legislative proceedings against you unless based on specific written consent or a court order. Records shall only be used or disclosed based on a court order after notice and an opportunity to be heard is provided to you (the patient) and/or the holder of the record, where required by 42 USC § 290dd-2 and 42 CFR Part 2. A court order authorizing use or disclosure must be accompanied by a subpoena or other similar legal mandate compelling disclosure before the record is used or disclosed.

 

Your Rights

You have the right to receive a paper or electronic copy of this notice upon request.

 

You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations, including when you have previously provided written consent. Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center is not required to agree to any restrictions you request, but if it does agree, then it is bound by that agreement and may not use or disclose any information which you have restricted, except as necessary in a medical emergency. 

 

If you request restriction on a disclosure to a health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations (not for treatment), Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center must grant the request if the health information pertains solely to an item or a service for which you have paid in full.

 

You have the right to request that we communicate with you by alternative means or at an alternative location. For example, you may choose whether we may provide appointment reminders via phone, text, email, or voice message. Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center will accommodate such requests that are reasonable and will not request an explanation from you. If you choose to receive a reminder by an alternative method, Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center is not responsible if another party sees or hears the communication. Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of contact information you provide us. 

 

Under HIPAA you also have the right to inspect and copy your own health information maintained by Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center with some limitations. You do not have a right of access if a provider deems it would potentially cause harm, in addition to the following:

 

In other situations, we may deny access, but if we do, we will explain why and what your rights are, including how to seek a review of the decision.

 

Under HIPAA you also have the right, with some exceptions, to amend health care information maintained in Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center records, and to request and receive an accounting of disclosures of your health-related information made by Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center during the six years prior to your request. 

 

Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center Responsibilities

Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your health information. Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center is required by law to abide by the terms of this notice.

 

Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center reserves the right to change the terms of this notice and to make new notice provisions effective for all protected health information it maintains. Any revision to this notice will be posted in the waiting rooms at Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center’s offices. Copies of this notice will be provided at no charge when requested. 

 

Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center will notify you in writing at your last known address of any breach of your protected health information.

 

Complaints and Reporting Violations

You may express any concern or complaint to Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center and/or the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated under HIPAA or 42 CFR Part 2. You may do so by contacting the HHS Office for Civil Rights or accessing https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html. A patient is not required to report an alleged violation either to the Secretary or Part 2 program but may report to either or both. A complaint can be filed with Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center by providing a written summary to the Compliance Officer(s). Every effort will be made by the staff to resolve the complaint once it is received. You will not be retaliated against for filing such a complaint. 

 

Contact

You have the right to discuss further information about this notice by contacting the HIPAA Compliance Officers or the Executive Director at Community and Family Resources/The Richmond Center, at 211 Avenue M West, Fort Dodge, IA 50501; phone number (515) 576-7261; or email HIPAA@cfrhelps.org.  

 

Effective Date: The effective date of this notice is February 16, 2026