 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Sonya Butler Merrill, PhD, Deputy Director, National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, P. O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345, 301-468-2600 (ext. 312), smerrill@shs.net, Nelia C. Nadal, MPH, CHES, Division of Prevention Application and Education, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall 2, Ste. 800, Rockville, MD 20857, and Robin Frazier Kandel, JD, Attorney and Assistant Director for Legal Affairs, Social and Health Services, Ltd., a Division of ORC Macro, 11426 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
Overview:
“The problem with this word ‘privacy’ is that it falls short of conveying the really big picture..........It's the right of people to control what details about their lives stay inside their own houses and what leaks to the outside......
Privacy is fundamentally about the power of the individual……”
S. Garfinkel, Database Nation: The Death of Privacy in the 21st Century. Published in 2000; pages 4-5
Abstract
Garfinkel’s words have special application to services with broad information access and outreach to the general public. It is incumbent upon the organizations providing those services that they achieve the highest level of compliance with current federal guidelines protecting the public’s privacy. Of particular concern is the assurance of privacy and confidentiality for the individual seeking support for regarding sensitive health issues.
Actions followed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA’s) National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, a provider of information related substance use and abuse, serve as a model for organizations who face the challenge of communicating with the public about sensitive health matters. The presentation describes the challenges and the solutions related to privacy protection, by communication venue, including web-based, telephonic, mail and e-mail contacts.
Objectives:
After the presentation, participants should be able to:
• Identify a list of potential privacy exposures by communication venue (web, telephone, mail, e-mail; and, • Identify potential solutions to minimize those exposures while continuing to serve the public’s health information needs.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Privacy, Health Information
Related Web page: www.health.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment