Your Privacy Matters to Us

A Personal Note About Your Privacy

When you walk through our doors at Valley Spring Recovery Center, you are placing your trust in us — not just with your recovery, but with some of the most personal details of your life. We take that responsibility seriously.

This notice explains how we handle your protected health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the HITECH Act, and 42 CFR Part 2, which provides special federal protections for substance use disorder treatment records. We have written it in plain language because we believe you deserve to understand exactly how your information is used and protected.

As a CARF-accredited outpatient treatment center, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of patient privacy. Every member of our team — from the front desk to our clinical directors — is trained in the proper handling of your health information.

The Information We Keep

In order to provide you with the best possible care, we collect and maintain several types of health information. This includes your basic contact and insurance details, your medical and substance use history, treatment records (assessments, progress notes, group attendance, medication-assisted treatment documentation), mental health evaluations, billing data, and communications between you, your treatment team, and authorized family members.

Every piece of information we collect serves a clinical or administrative purpose. We do not collect information we do not need.

How We Use Your Information

There are times when we may use or share your health information without needing additional permission from you. These situations are limited and clearly defined by law:

• For your treatment — sharing information among your care team (therapists, counselors, medical staff, psychiatrists) so they can coordinate your care across our Partial Care, IOP, and outpatient programs
• For payment — billing your insurance, verifying coverage, and processing prior authorizations
• For healthcare operations — quality improvement, clinical audits, staff training, and CARF accreditation activities
• When required by law — responding to court orders, reporting suspected child abuse or neglect
• To protect safety — preventing a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health and safety of others

An important note about substance use records: Under 42 CFR Part 2, your substance use disorder treatment information carries additional federal protections. We cannot share these records without your specific written consent, except in very limited circumstances (genuine medical emergencies, qualified audits, certain court orders, approved research, or reporting suspected child abuse or neglect).

For anything not covered above, we will always ask for your written permission first. And you can take that permission back at any time.

Your Rights

You are not a passive participant in your privacy. Under HIPAA, you have real, enforceable rights over your health information:

You also have the right to request a paper copy of this privacy notice at any time, even if you originally received it electronically.

Our Promise to You

Valley Spring Recovery Center is required by law — and committed by principle — to protect the privacy of your health information. This means we will:

• Maintain the confidentiality of all protected health information and substance use disorder records
• Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised your information
• Never use or share your information in ways beyond what is described here without your written consent
• Train every team member on HIPAA compliance and patient privacy
• Maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect electronic health data

We may update this notice from time to time as regulations change or our practices evolve. When we do, the updated version will be posted on our website and available in paper form at our facility.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about this notice, want to exercise any of your rights, or need to file a complaint, we are here to help. Please reach out to our Privacy Officer:

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints or by calling 1-877-696-6775.