Last Updated April 3, 2006
Notification of Change
The Information We Collect
Opting Out
Your California Privacy Rights
Correct/Update Your Profile
Aggregate Information
Cookies
Security of Your Information
Tell-A-Friend, Ecards and Personal Fundraising Pages
Links to Other Web Sites
Information from Children
Transmission of Health-Related Data
Welcome to the Easterseals Online Network, the Web site of Easterseals, Inc. (Easterseals headquarters) and participating Easterseals affiliates across the country.
Because Easterseals values the privacy of constituents visiting the Easterseals Online Network, users of the Easterseals Online Network have the right to manage their own personal information.
You can contact Easterseals for more information related to the privacy of the information you provide online:
Mail: 141 W Jackson Blvd, Suite 1400A, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312-726-6200
Online: Click here to contact Easterseals via email. Your request will be answered within 2-3 business days.
Easterseals reserves the right to change this policy at any time. Easterseals privacy policy will be kept up-to-date and clearly posted on our Web site.
On many pages of the Easterseals Online Network -- in particular when donating online, completing an action alert, registering for a special event, purchasing a product, or completing various feedback forms -- visitors are asked to list name, address, and other personal contact information. Information collected is specifically and knowingly provided by site visitors and may include name, email address, format preference (HTML vs. text), address, telephone number, interests and other similar information. Collecting this information helps Easterseals to better provide site visitors with relevant and useful content.
Easterseals has partnered with Convio, Inc. to power the Web content, email and transaction processing capabilities to serve our constituents and fulfill our mission on the Internet. Convio, Inc. is an Internet software and services company that provides online electronic Constituent Relationship Management (eCRM) solutions for nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. Convio will not disclose your name or other personally identifiable information (such as your e-mail address or phone number) to any party other than Easterseals.
Neither Easterseals nor Convio store sensitive information such as credit card numbers. When an online transaction is completed through the Easterseals Online Network, such as a charitable contribution, credit card information is used solely for the purpose of completing that specific transaction and is not retained in the Easterseals or Convio database.
Easterseals will not sell, share or exchange personal contact information collected from this Web site with other organizations. If a user has a previous relationship with Easterseals through another channel (i.e., mail, phone), Easterseals will occasionally rent or exchange those names and addresses with other organizations as a way of providing extra funds to help support services. If you do not want to participate in this program, please let us know.
Visitors to the Easterseals Online Network are not required to share any personally identifiable information. Users who do not wish to share personal information when visiting the Easterseals Online Network can still access the Network's Web pages and the valuable information provided.
Easterseals provides site visitors with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving our online and offline communications.
If you would like to opt-out of receiving email communications please update your user profile. Email unsubscribe requests are processed immediately.
To discontinue the receipt of postal mail, please contact Easterseals. Shortly, Easterseals will be adding the capability to remove your name from our postal mailing list online. You'll need to register as user of the Easterseals Online Network. Please note: there is a 8-12 week lapse period due to the fact that a subsequent mailing may already be in production. If you do receive another mailing, please disregard it.
To review a special notice for California residents only per California Privacy Law (SB27): Exchanging, Renting, Reselling Personal Information, please visit the "Your California Privacy Rights" section.
Easterseals offers the option to change and modify personally identifiable information. Upon your request, Easterseals will remove personally identifying information retained in organizational databases. If you are a registered user of this site, you can access your Easterseals profile and update your contact information and user preferences by clicking here.
Easterseals reserves the right to maintain information on users who have had their access to the Easterseals Online Network blocked.
Demographic and profile data (i.e., age, gender, browser usage) is also collected via the Easterseals Online Network. Easterseals uses such data to improve marketing and promotional efforts, statistically analyze site usage, improve content and product offerings and to customize site content, layout, and services. Additionally, this data may be shared with third parties on an aggregated basis. Easterseals does not share personally identifying information with third parties, except to a court or governmental agency if required by law and as stated above in the section titled "The Information We Collect."
A cookie is a small text file a Web site places on a site visitor's computer hard drive. Its purpose is to let the site know when a user visits and to perform certain functions such as saving passwords and personal preferences.
Cookies help evaluate visitors' use of a Web site, such as what viewers want to see and what they never read. This information allows Easterseals to better focus online information and to concentrate on information people are using.
Your browser is probably set to accept cookies. If you would like to turn this feature off, you will need to change the settings of your Internet browser.
All credit card and personal profile information provided to Easterseals or our Internet software partner, Convio, Inc., is transmitted using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption using Verisign as a payment gateway. SSL is a proven coding system that allows a browser to automatically encrypt, or scramble, data before it is sent.
Easterseals also protects account information by placing it on a secure portion of the Easterseals Online Network that is only accessible by certain qualified employees of Easterseals. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Easterseals strives to protect your information, however cannot ensure or warrant the security of such information.
If you elect to use the referral service to inform a friend about a page on the Easterseals Online Network, send an ecard, or raise funds for Easterseals by soliciting friends and family, you will be asked for the friend's name and email address. Easterseals will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the site. Easterseals stores this information to send this one-time email only. In addition, the contact information will be maintained solely for the future convenience of the individual who provided the information - to send subsequent ecards or fundraising reminders/updates.
Easterseals has links to other Web sites outside of the Easterseals Online Network. Easterseals is not responsible for the content of any linked Web site, or any link contained in a linked Web site, or any changes or updates to such Web sites. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Easterseals of that Web site.
In addition, please be aware that Easterseals is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other Web sites. Easterseals encourages you to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that requests personal information from you.
Easterseals does not seek to collect personal information about children through the Easterseals Online Network. If a child submits information through any part of the Network, and Easterseals is aware that the user submitting the information is a child, the information is not used for any purpose, nor is it disclosed to third parties. Easterseals will comply with all regulations set forward by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). To learn more about COPPA, visit the Federal Trade Commission.
Easterseals understands the sensitivity of collecting and using health-related data. Personally identifiable health-related data collected on the Easterseals Online Network will not be shared with entities other than Easterseals, Inc., and Easterseals affiliates. Any transfer of personally identifiable health-related data between Easterseals organizations will take place in a secure environment with access allowed only to certain qualified employees of Easterseals. Easterseals will comply with all regulations set forward by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To learn more about HIPAA, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
Notice of Privacy Practices
What is the purpose of this Notice?
We respect the privacy of your health information and pledge to protect that information. This Notice describes your rights and our duties on the subject of your health information. It tells you about how we may use and give out ("disclose") your personal medical information. This Notice applies to all information and records about your care that we have received or created. It also applies to information received or created by our employees, staff, contractors, volunteers and or other health care business associates of the agency.
Our promise to you about our duties and responsibilities:
The law says we must protect the privacy of your information. The law also says that we need to give you this notice about what we do with the information we collect and maintain about you. We must follow the practices described in this notice. The Notice will be posted in the reception areas of our facilities. We agree to consider any reasonable privacy requests and to notify you if we are unable to meet those requests. We will not use or give out your information without your permission, except as described in this notice.
Who will follow this Notice?
Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center provides care to patients and clients together with clinicians and other health care professionals. This Notice will be followed by:
What are your rights as a patient?
You have the following rights regarding your Personal Health Information:
Who do you contact for more information or to report a problem?
If you believe that your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint in writing with the Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center by contacting the person listed below:
Privacy Officer Loraine Shea 203-754-5141 ext. 241
22 Tompkins Street
Waterbury, CT 06708
You may also file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There are no penalties if you file a complaint.
What happens if Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center changes this Notice?
We have the right to change this notice. We will post a copy of the current notice in our facilities. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right-hand comer, the effective date. Also, each time you register at or are admitted to Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center for treatment or health care services, you may ask for a copy of the current notice in effect. If we change this notice, you will be notified the next time you come to the center and you may request a new copy.
When and how will Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center use and/or give out your personal medical information?
We may use and disclose your health information for purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations (our business operations) without written permission. There are times when we must use your personal medical information. The center must use and give out your personal medical information to provide information:
What are treatment, payment, and health care operations and what are some examples?
Treatment: Treatment is when we provide care to you. It includes many pieces, including when doctors and clinicians consult on your case or when referrals are needed. We will use and disclose your health information when we provide you with treatment and services, and to coordinate your care. Your health information may be used by the therapists, educators, and other clinicians/staff involved in your care. For example, our staff may need certain information to recommend a hearing aid for you. We also may give health information to individuals or facilities that will be involved in your care after you leave Easter Seals.
Payment: Payment is billing for services we provided. It also involves receiving payment from individuals or insurance companies. We will give out some of your health information so that we can bill and receive payment for the treatment and services you receive. For billing and payment purposes, we may give out your health information to your representative, insurance or managed care company, Medicare, Medicaid or another payer. For example, we may contact Medicare or your health plan to confirm your coverage or to request prior approval for a proposed treatment or service. Payment information may include things that identify you, your diagnosis, procedures performed on you, and supplies we used.
Health Care Operations: Health care operations involves many things that Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center must do to operate its' business side. We may give out your health information as necessary for clinic operations or business reasons. These may include management purposes or reviewing our treatment and services for quality of care. We may also use your information to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you by using surveys. For example, health information of many patients may be grouped and studied for purposes such as evaluating and improving quality of care and planning for services. Health information is used in evaluating our employees and in reviewing the qualifications and practices of the clinicians and other licensed health care staff at the Center. We also may use and disclose health information for education and training purposes. We may use a sign-in sheet at the registration desk where you may be asked to sign your name. We may also call you by name in the waiting room when your therapist is ready to see you. We may use or disclose your protected health information, as necessary, to contact you to remind you of your appointment.
How else does Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center use and disclose medical information?
We may also use and disclose health information about you for specific purposes. Below is a list of the various ways in which we may use or give out your health information:
Is information about Behavioral Health, substance abuse treatment, and HIV treated differently?
For disclosures concerning health information relating to care for Behavioral Health (psychiatric) conditions, substance abuse or HIV-related testing and treatment, special rules may apply. For example, we usually are not able to disclose this specially protected information in response to a subpoena, warrant or other legal process unless you sign a special authorization or a court orders the disclosure. We will follow state and/or federal law and obtain a special authorization to release this type of information about you in cases other than what is listed here.
For other reasons that are not listed in this Notice, we will use or give out your information only with your written permission ("authorization"). A written authorization must list other particular uses or disclosures that you may allow. You may cancel an authorization to use or disclose health information, in writing, at any time. If you cancel an authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your health information for the purposes covered by that authorization, except in cases where we followed your original request.