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Notice of Client Privacy Practices

Updated: May 1st, 2024

CONFIDENTIALITY OF PROGRAM RECORDS

The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door provide faith-based, residential recovery programs. We take confidentiality seriously and work hard to safeguard client information and records.

 

CONFIDENTIALITY LIMITS

For clients of The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door, we will not disclose program participation information to a third party or disclose any information identifying the program participant as someone with substance abuse disorder except in the following circumstances:

  1. The program participant consents in writing.
  2. The disclosure is allowed by a court order.
  3. The disclosure is made to qualified personnel for research, audit, or program evaluation.
  4. Program coordination: Necessary information and vital issues that affect a participant’s progress within the New Life program may be shared by program staff with other appropriate Portland Rescue Mission staff members, volunteer staff, and Service Program participants as necessary for them to complete their job duties and to provide program coordination for the participant’s best interest.
  5. Counseling supervision: When a counselor or intern is working under supervision, there may be situations where sessions are discussed with a supervisor or professional colleagues, as deemed necessary, to provide the highest level of professional care possible.
  6. Safety concerns/mandatory reporting:
    1. Medical emergency.
    2. Suspected abuse or neglect of children. These can include reports made by a minor (under age 18), adult clients, or other individuals with knowledge of the events, and can include abuse either done to or by the program participant. Federal laws and regulations do not protect any information about suspected child abuse or neglect from being reported under state law to appropriate state or local authorities.
    3. Any abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults, including but not limited to, the abuse of an adult age 65 or older or the abuse of any adult under age 65 with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, or mental illness.
    4. The program participant reports, or is suspected of, having the intent to harm others or him/herself, including, but not limited to, threats of suicide or self-injuring behavior.
    5. Reports to law enforcement, appropriate staff, and other community resources regarding a crime that occurred on-site, physical injury caused by a deadly weapon, death resulting from criminal conduct, or when there is a threat of harm to the individual or others, including, but not limited to, murder, assault, or other physical harm. Federal law and regulations do not protect any information about a crime committed by a program participant either at the program or against any person who works for the program or about any threat to commit such a crime.
    6. Any current or past incidents of sexual exploitation by a therapist or a Portland Rescue Mission staff member.
    7. Information required to avoid a serious threat to health or safety including the reporting of some infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, etc.).
    8. Any crimes on Portland Rescue Mission premises or against Portland Rescue Mission personnel.

    State law mandates that certain professionals report the above situations to the appropriate persons and/or agencies. All information will be released on a need-to-know basis and will be limited to the minimum amount of information necessary to carry out the purpose of the disclosure.

 

CLIENT RIGHTS

Program participants at our residential recovery program sites at The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door have the right to inspect, copy, change or remove their Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and program records. Client rights include:

  1. Right to inspect or copy. Program participants of The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door can sign consent to have their program records released to a continuing care provider or they can request a copy of their program records. In some cases, we will bill for record copying.
  2. Right to change or remove. Program participants of The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door have the right to request changes or removal of information in their program record unless:
    1. The program record was created by an entity outside of Portland Rescue Mission.
    2. The program record is already accurate and complete.
    3. The program record is a type that the individual making the request is not authorized to view or change.

For questions about this notice, to request changes or removal of information in a program record, or to share a complaint, please email info@pdxmission.org or call 503-MISSION.