Notice of Privacy Practices

Our responsibilities

We are required by federal and California law to protect the privacy and security of your protected health information (PHI). We must give you this Notice, follow it, and notify you if a breach compromises your information.

How we use and share your information

We may use or share your PHI for the following purposes:

Treatment	To provide, coordinate, or manage your care
Payment	To bill and receive payment from health plans or other payers.
Health Care Operations	To run our organization, improve services, conduct quality review, and support clinical operations.
Public Health and Safety	We may share information to: Report communicable diseases Prevent or reduce serious threats to health or safety Report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence Support health oversight activities
Research	We may use or share information for approved research under federal and state law.
Legal Requirements	We may share information to comply with federal or state law, court orders, or subpoenas.
Organ and Tissue Donation	We may share information with organ procurement organizations.
Workers’ Compensation, Law Enforcement, and Government Requests	We may share information as required for these programs.

Special protections for sensitive information

Substance Use Disorder (42 CFR Part 2)

If you receive SUD services, your records are protected by federal law. We cannot share SUD information without your written consent unless allowed by Part 2.

“Federal law prohibits the redisclosure of this information unless expressly permitted by written consent or by Part 2.”

Reproductive Health Information

We will not disclose PHI related to reproductive health care for investigations or proceedings related to lawful care. We must obtain a signed attestation before disclosing PHI to law enforcement or others.

California Protected Information

California law provides additional protections for:

HIV test results	Sexual and reproductive health services
Genetic information	Gender-affirming care
Mental health treatment	Minors’ rights to confidential services
Substance use disorder treatment	Restrictions on sharing PHI with out-of-state entities

We will follow the stricter law.

Your rights

Right to Access	You may request electronic or paper copies of your medical record.
Right to Request Corrections	You may ask us to correct information you believe is incomplete or inaccurate.
Right to Request Confidential Communications	You may request that we contact you in a specific way.
Right to Restrict Sharing	You may request restrictions on how we use or share your information. If you pay in full out-of-pocket, we must restrict disclosure to your health plan unless required by law.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures	You may request a list of certain disclosures for the past six years, including reproductive-health-related disclosures.
Right to a List of Third Parties Who Received Your PHI	You may request a list of external entities that received your PHI for certain purposes.
Right to a Copy of This Notice	You may request a paper or electronic copy at any time.

Your choices

You may tell us your preferences about:

Sharing information with family or others involved in your care
Disaster-relief disclosures
Fundraising communications

We will follow your instructions whenever possible.

Breach notification

We will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that compromises the privacy or security of your PHI, consistent with federal and California law.

Complaints

You may file a complaint without fear of retaliation.

Family Health Centers of San Diego
Corporate Compliance
823 Gateway Center Way
San Diego CA 92102
(619) 515-2452

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Office for Civil Rights
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20201
(877) 696-6775
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/

Family Health Centers of San Diego can change the terms of this notice at any time, and the changes will apply to all your information. The new notice will be available upon request, in our health centers and on our website.