THIS DISCLOSURE EXPLAINS HOW WE PROTECT YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL GUIDELINES. YOUR TRUST, SAFETY, AND PRIVACY ARE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITIES.

At Bad River Harm Reduction, we believe that providing life-saving supplies, education, and culturally grounded support requires a foundation of complete trust. Part of building that trust is being completely transparent about how we safeguard any health-related information you share with us.

While harm reduction services are rooted in community and love, we hold ourselves to strict privacy standards aligned with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This disclosure outlines how we handle your Protected Health Information (PHI).

I. What is Protected Health Information (PHI)?

When you interact with our program, any details that can connect your identity to the services or care you receive are considered PHI. At Bad River Harm Reduction, this might include:

• Your name, contact information, or date of birth (if provided).
• Logs of life-saving supplies requested or distributed (such as naloxone or syringe services).
• Information from voluntary health screenings, infectious disease education, or peer support sessions.
• Notes regarding referrals to outside recovery resources, healthcare providers, or cultural support circles.

Our Philosophy on Data: We only collect the minimum amount of information necessary to provide you with safe, high-quality support. You do not need to share your life story to receive our love, respect, and supplies.

II. How We Safeguard Your Information

We take physical, electronic, and administrative steps to ensure your personal health data stays private:

• Secure Storage: All digital records are protected by encrypted, password-secured systems with limited access. Physical records are kept under lock and key.
• Limited Staff Access: Only team members directly involved in coordinating your services or managing our program operations have access to your information.
• A Culture of Confidentiality: Every staff member, volunteer, and peer support specialist at Bad River Harm Reduction undergoes privacy training. We hold your stories and your health information in the absolute highest regard.

III. Permitted Uses and Disclosures Under HIPAA

Under federal privacy guidelines, we are allowed to use and share your health information for very specific, limited reasons:

• To Support Your Care: We may share information within our internal team to coordinate supplies, peer coaching, or technical assistance.
• For Program Evaluations: We use service data internally to review our program's impact and make sure we are serving the community effectively.
• Anonymous Grant Reporting: To keep our doors open and our supplies free, we must report our impact to funding entities. Whenever we share this data, it is entirely stripped of names, dates, and identifying details. Your personal identity is never shared with funders.
• With Your Direct Consent: We will gladly coordinate with outside healthcare providers, family members, or recovery networks, but only if you give us explicit, written permission first.

IV. Very Rare and Limited Disclosures

We will never sell your data or give it away carelessly. We are only required or permitted to disclose your information without your consent in extreme circumstances:

• To Save a Life: If there is an immediate, life-threatening medical emergency, we will share essential information with emergency responders to keep you safe.
• Strict Legal Mandates: We will only disclose information to law enforcement or court officials if presented with a mandatory, legally binding court order or subpoena. In these rare events, we disclose only the absolute minimum required by law.

V. Your Control Over Your Health Information

HIPAA grants you specific rights regarding your health data. At Bad River Harm Reduction, you have the right to:

• Review your service records at any time.
• Request a copy of the information we have on file for you.
• Ask us to limit who we share your information with.
• Correct any mistakes or outdated details in your file.
• Revoke any sharing permissions you have previously signed.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about this HIPAA Disclosure, want to review your information, or feel your privacy has not been fully respected, please reach out to our team directly. We are here to listen and support you.

Gwayakobimaadiziwin / Bad River Harm Reduction 72718 Maple St

Odanah, WI 54861

• Phone: 715-685-7844
• Email: harmreductionTA@badriver-nsn.gov

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