Welcome to the BC-CfE's Privacy Statement
- The BC-CfE is a provincial program, serving all health authorities, regions and citizens of B.C., with a mandate to improve the health of British Columbians through the development, ongoing monitoring and dissemination of comprehensive investigative and treatment programs for HIV/AIDS and related diseases.
- The BC-CfE has ethical and legal obligations to protect Personal Information about patients and Staff. The BC-CfE may also be obliged under contract or other circumstances to protect Confidential Information.
- The purpose of this Privacy Statement (“Statement”) is to describe the guiding principles and framework that the BC-CfE and its Staff comply with to demonstrate accountability for managing Personal Information and Confidential Information. This Statement summarizes and is subject to the BC-CfE’s detailed Privacy Policy and Procedures.
- This Statement applies to all Staff and all Personal Information and Confidential Information in the custody or control of the BC-CfE regardless of format and how it is stored or recorded. These obligations for ensuring privacy and confidentiality continue after Staff’s employment, contract, or other affiliation comes to an end.
- The BC-CfE and its Staff are governed by the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
- The BC-CfE will comply with FIPPA when collecting, using and disclosing Personal Information.
- Protecting individual confidentiality and privacy is a fundamental value of the BC-CfE. All Staff must complete the BC-CfE Confidentiality Agreement by which they agree to protect the privacy and confidentiality of Personal Information.
- Staff may access and use Personal Information only on a “need to know” basis and only for purposes that are permitted under FIPPA and that are necessary for the performance of their own job functions and responsibilities.
- Staff must de-identify all Personal Information as early as possible when using Personal Information.
- Staff must take reasonable security precautions to ensure that all Personal Information and Confidential Information is at all times protected against unauthorized access, use, collection, disclosure, storage, retention, duplication, loss, theft and disposal.
- Staff will take all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy and completeness of any Personal Information they collect or record. An individual who believes that there is an error on his or her Personal Information may request correction of this information by emailing privacy@bccfe.ca.
- The BC-CfE must retain records containing Personal Information for a minimum of one year if the Personal Information is used to make a decision that directly affects the individual the information is about.
- When Personal Information is to be destroyed, Staff will follow the BC-CfE guidelines and procedures for the secure destruction of Personal Information to ensure the information is destroyed, erased or made anonymous.
- Staff must immediately report any actual or suspected violation of privacy or confidentiality to the Privacy Office or Director of Operations.
- Failure to comply with this Policy may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to, the termination of employment, loss of computing privileges, prosecution and restitution for damages.