Privacy & Access to Information

We at the Toronto Grace Health Centre are committed in protecting privacy information of all individuals that we hold and in providing access to their personal information.

FIPPA (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act)

Freedom of Information (FOI)
Welcome to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) web page. The purpose of FIPPA is to provide access to information while at the same time protecting the privacy of individuals whose personal information we hold. At the Toronto Grace Health Centre we believe in transparency and accountability. We continue to encourage and support proactive disclosure where it is appropriate and will provide information and documents online that are of interest to our community.

Requests for Information
FIPPA gives people the right to request access to information that is in the custody and control of government institutions. The Act also protects the privacy of individuals by requiring the government to follow specific rules regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. FIPPA applies to Ontario's provincial ministries and provincial agencies, boards and commissions designated under the Act. Effective January 1, 2012 individuals can request access to records in the custody and control of the Toronto Grace Health Centre on or after January 1, 2007. Requests must be made in writing by mail or in person to the Privacy Officer. We have published a FIPPA Access/Correction Request Form (Request Form) for your FIPPA request.

Click here to download the Request Form.

Please ensure that your FIPPA request includes:
- a reference to the FIPPA, if you are sending a letter and not using the form.

- enough detail to assist us in processing the request

and

- the $5.00 application fee

We will respond within 30 days of receiving an access request. Depending on the type of information you are looking for or the length of time it may take to collect the information, a time extension may be required, as allowed under FIPPA.

We will contact you if:

- further information is required;

- the 30-day time limit must be extended and why;

-a record must be severed and why;

-access is denied and why;

-the request affects the interests of another party;

-the estimated fee exceeds $100.00

Fees
Toronto Grace Health Centre may charge reasonable fees for photocopies, searching and accessing records.

Click here for the Fee Schedule

Inquiries
You are invited to direct any questions related to privacy issues, Freedom of Information requests and/or any comments related to this site to:

Privacy Officer

c/o Health Records Department

Toronto Grace Health Centre

650 Church Street

Toronto, ON M4Y 2G5

Telephone: 416-925-2251 416-925-2251 ext.223

Email: privacy@torontograce.org

Privacy and Access to Information

Directory of Records (to be posted shortly)

The directory of records is a listing of the types of records held and maintained by the Toronto Grace Health Centre. Record holdings are classified by category and include a description of record types. Toronto Grace Health Centre will be publishing and posting the Directory of Records shortly.

Personal Information Banks

A "Personal Information Bank" is a collection of records containing personal information about one or more individuals held by Toronto Grace Health Centre. The following list identifies classes of records in which personal information is held, its location within the hospital, users of that information, purpose for collection, and its retention guidelines.

Click here to access the Toronto Grace Health Centres Directory of Records (to be posted shortly)

PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act)

Personal Health Information Protection Act

The Ontario Government has legislation, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) that came into effect on November 1, 2004. This act has been established to set out rules for the collection and utilization of information that is collected about patients. This document is intended to provide you with information on the new Personal Health Information Protection Act.

Collection of Personal Information

At Toronto Grace Health Centre we collect personal health information about you. We collect this information either from you directly or from the person acting on your behalf. The information that we collect may include your name, date of birth, address, health history, records of your visits and the care that you received. Occasionally, when we have received your consent, we receive and collect information about you from other sources.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Health Information

We use and disclose your personal health information as follows:

To treat and care for you.

To get payment for your treatment and care (from OHIP, WSIB, your private insurer or others).

To conduct risk management activities.

To conduct quality improvement activities, such as completing surveys.

For teaching purposes.

To compile statistics

For fundraising to improve our programs and services.

To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

To fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law.

It's Your Choice

With regard to the above uses and disclosures of your personal health records, you have a choice. You may access and correct your personal health records, or withdraw your consent for some of the above (subject to certain legal exceptions). To do this, please contact us as outlined below.

Our Pledge to Protect Your Personal Health Information

The following are a list of pledges to you that we have made to protect your personal health information:

We will take steps to protect your personal health information from theft, loss and unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal.

We will conduct audits and complete investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance.

We will take steps to ensure that everyone who performs services for us protects your privacy and only uses your personal health information for the purposes you have consented to.

Contact Information

For more information about our privacy protection practices, or to raise a concern you may have about our practices, please contact

Health Records Administrator
650 Church Street, Ontario M4Y 2G5
416-925-2251, ext 223
privacy@torontograce.org

You also have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if you think we have violated your rights. The Commissioner can be reached as follows:

Dr. Ann Cavoukian
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
416-326-3333
commissioner@ipc.on.ca
www.ipc.on.ca