Privacy Policy

Easter Seals Online Network Privacy Policy

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 Easter Seals Online Network, the Web site of Easter Seals, Inc. (Easter Seals headquarters) and participating Easter Seals affiliates across the country.

Because Easter Seals values the privacy of constituents visiting the Easter Seals Online Network, users of the Easter Seals Online Network have the right to manage their own personal information.

You can contact Easter Seals for more information related to the privacy of the information you provide online:

Mail:  233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60606.
Phone:  312-726-6200
Online:  Click here to contact Easter Seals via email. Your request will be answered within 2-3 business days.

Notification of Change
Easter Seals reserves the right to change this policy at any time. Easter Seals privacy policy will be kept up-to-date and clearly posted on our Web site.

The Information We Collect
On many pages of the Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals to better provide site visitors with relevant and useful content.

Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals.

Neither Easter Seals nor Convio store sensitive information such as credit card numbers. When an online transaction is completed through the Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals or Convio database.

Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals through another channel (i.e., mail, phone), Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals Online Network are not required to share any personally identifiable information. Users who do not wish to share personal information when visiting the Easter Seals Online Network can still access the Network's Web pages and the valuable information provided.

Opting Out
Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals. Shortly, Easter Seals will be adding the capability to remove your name from our postal mailing list online. You'll need to register as user of the Easter Seals 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.

Your California Privacy Rights
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. 

Correct/Update Your Profile
Easter Seals offers the option to change and modify personally identifiable information. Upon your request, Easter Seals will remove personally identifying information retained in organizational databases. If you are a registered user of this site, you can access your Easter Seals profile and update your contact information and user preferences by clicking here.

Easter Seals reserves the right to maintain information on users who have had their access to the Easter Seals Online Network blocked.

Aggregate Information
Demographic and profile data (i.e., age, gender, browser usage) is also collected via the Easter Seals Online Network. Easter Seals 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. Easter Seals 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."

Cookies
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 Easter Seals 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.

Security of Your Information
All credit card and personal profile information provided to Easter Seals 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.

Easter Seals also protects account information by placing it on a secure portion of the Easter Seals Online Network that is only accessible by certain qualified employees of Easter Seals. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Easter Seals strives to protect your information, however cannot ensure or warrant the security of such information.

Tell-A-Friend, Ecards and Personal Fundraising Pages
If you elect to use the referral service to inform a friend about a page on the Easter Seals Online Network, send an ecard, or raise funds for Easter Seals by soliciting friends and family, you will be asked for the friend's name and email address. Easter Seals will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the site. Easter Seals 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.

Links to Other Web Sites
Easter Seals has links to other Web sites outside of the Easter Seals Online Network. Easter Seals 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 Easter Seals of that Web site.

In addition, please be aware that Easter Seals is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other Web sites. Easter Seals encourages you to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that requests personal information from you.

Information from Children
Easter Seals does not seek to collect personal information about children through the Easter Seals Online Network. If a child submits information through any part of the Network, and Easter Seals 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. Easter Seals 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.

Transmission of Health-Related Data
Easter Seals understands the sensitivity of collecting and using health-related data. Personally identifiable health-related data collected on the Easter Seals Online Network will not be shared with entities other than Easter Seals, Inc., and Easter Seals affiliates. Any transfer of personally identifiable health-related data between Easter Seals organizations will take place in a secure environment with access allowed only to certain qualified employees of Easter Seals. Easter Seals 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.

Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast, Inc.

 

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

 

Effective date:  April 14, 2003

 

 

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.  Please read it carefully.

 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires all health care records and other individually identifiable health information (protected health information) used or disclosed to us in any form, whether electronically, on paper, or orally, be kept confidential.  This federal law gives you, the consumer, significant new rights to understand and control how your health information is used.  HIPAA provides penalties for covered entities that misuse personal health information.  As required by HIPAA, we have prepared this explanation of how we are required to maintain the privacy of your health information and how we may use and disclose your health information.

 

Goodwill Easter Seals’ staff will only use your personal health information when it is a necessity to provide quality service to our consumer. 
Without specific written authorization, we are permitted to use and disclose your health care records for the purposes of treatment, payment and health care operations. 

 

Treatment  - We will use and share your health information to approve treatment, and to determine if your medical treatment is appropriate.  GES professionals may review your treatment plan with your health care provider to determine medical necessity.

Payment - such activities as obtaining reimbursement for services, confirming coverage, billing or collection activities, and utilization review.

Health Care Options and Eligibility of Services - Some Goodwill Easter Seals’ programs require health information in order to determine eligibility for the program or specific services.

 

Other uses of PHI include:

 

Individuals involved in your care or payment: Information may be disclosed to a relative or friend who is involved in your medical care or services.       

Information Purposes You may receive information from Goodwill Easter Seals such as brochures related to various programs administered by the agency.

Other Government Agencies or organizations providing benefits, services or disaster relief  - Goodwill Easter Seals may share information with other government agencies or organizations that are providing benefits or services when the information is necessary in order for you to receive those benefits or services.  Information may also be shared between divisions with Goodwill Easter Seals in order to determine your eligibility for other benefits or services provided by the agency.

Public Health - We may disclose health information to the appropriate agencies for public health activities for disease control and prevention, problems with medical products or medications and also victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence as required by law.

Fundraising/publicity/marketing efforts  - We may disclose health information in an effort to increase public awareness of Goodwill Easter Seals’ services and in fundraising and marketing efforts, including the web page, brochures and reports.

Health Oversight Activities  - We may disclose specific health information to authorized health oversight activities responsible for the Medicaid program.

Judicial and Administrative Hearings  - We may disclose specific health information in judicial and administrative proceedings as required by law.

Law Enforcement Purposes  - We may disclose specific health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law.

Coroners and Medical Examiners  - We may disclose specific health information to coroners and medical examiners to carry out their jobs, as required by law.

Organ Donation and Disease Registries  - We may disclose specific health information to authorized entities involved where you have consented to organ donation and transplantation, communicable disease registries and cancer registries.

Research Purposes  - We may disclose specific health information to entities authorized to conduct a research project.  When information is disclosed for research purposes information that identifies you will not be disclosed.

To avert a serious threat to health, safety or emergency situation  - we may disclose specific health information to prevent a serious threat to a person’s or the public’s health or safety.

Specialized government functions  - we may disclose health information for national security and intelligence and for protection of the President and others, as required by law.  Also, we may disclose health information to the appropriate military authorities if you are or have been a member of the armed services.

Corrective Institutions  - we may disclose health information to correctional facilities or law enforcement officials to maintain the health, safety and security of the corrections system.

Workers’ Compensation  - we may disclose health information to workers’ compensation programs that provide benefits for work related injuries or illness without regard to fault.

 

YOUR RIGHTS TO PRIVACY

Your health information will not be shared without your authorization except as described in this notice or as required by law.  You may authorize other disclosures by completing a Goodwill Easter Seals’ Authorization Form and you may revoke such authorization in writing at any time.  

 

You have the right to:

 

Request restrictions  - You may request in writing that GES limit the use or disclosure of your health information except for treatment, payment and health care operations purposes.   GES is not required by law to agree to your request. 

Request Confidential Communications - You may request, in writing that GES communicate with you in a different way or to a different location, i.e. a different phone number or address.

Inspect and Copy - You may, upon written request and during normal business hours, review all of the records maintained by GES relating to the grant, denial or provision of services.  A staff member of GES shall be present during any review.  You may request a copy of your record.

Amend  -You may request, in writing along with the reason, to change or add information to your health record.  However, original documentation maintained by GES may not be erased.  GES is not required by law to agree to your request.

Accounting of Disclosure  - You may request an accounting of disclosures of your health information except for purposes of treatment, payment, health care operations and disclosures required by law for purposes of national security or law enforcement.

 

To report a problem:

If you have questions or if you believe your rights have been violated, you may contact Goodwill Easter Seals, attn: Privacy Compliance Officer at 2448 Gordon Smith Dr. Mobile, AL 36617.  No individual will be retaliated for filing a complaint.  For more information about HIPAA or to file a complaint you may contact The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Right, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201 or call 877-696-6775.