Legal Rights, Protection of Health Info & Access to Records

Scattergram is a group practice, owned by Wendy McGuire, that provides psychotherapy and related services to neurodivergent youth and adults by an interdisciplinary group of practitioners. Scattergram will be referred to as “the clinic” from here on. The primary purpose of “the clinic” is to provide holistic, neurodiversity-affirming health and wellness services via, but not limited to, individual, couple, family, and group therapy, workshops and webinars, job, academic, and diet and exercise coaching, in accordance with each Associate’s education and regulatory college. The secondary purpose of “the clinic” is to provide consulting and supervision to educators and health, and mental health care providers in a neurodiversity-affirming approach to care.

Your Legal Rights

Your experience at The Sites is influenced by several provincial acts, including:

• the Public Hospitals Act, 1990
• the Ontario Mental Health Act, 1990, which outlines the legal rights of patients who are admitted to a psychiatric facility and the responsibilities of many of the individuals involved in their treatment
• the Health Care Consent Act, 1996, which governs treatment in Ontario and the system of substitute decision-making for individuals who are incapable of making their own treatment decisions.
• Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991
• Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998

The Sites therapists, associates and staff members make every effort to inform patients about their clinical condition and their treatment plan. This is to allow The Sites patients, or their substitute decision makers, to participate fully in treatment decisions and to protect their rights and interests.

Privacy and Confidentiality of Your Personal Health Information

The Sites recognizes that the personal health information of our patients deserves to be treated with respect and that privacy must be protected. Access to personal health information is available to those who need to know to provide care. Furthermore, when it comes to collecting, using or disclosing your personal health information, we take measures to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the information is protected in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).

You have the right to know how The Sites may use and share your health information and how you can access it. Your health information is kept private and secure.

The Sites may collect, use and share your health information for the following reasons:

• to provide you with health care
• to communicate with or consult with other health care providers
• for payment-related purposes (including OHIP, WSIB, private insurance companies and others)
• to plan, manage and administer The Sites programs and services
• for other purposes as permitted or required by law.

Your health information is stored in accordance with The Sites’ retention policies and as required by law. Otherwise it is destroyed, erased or made anonymous.

You have the right to:

• see and ask for a copy of your health information
• ask us to make corrections to inaccurate or incomplete health information
• ask us for a list of how we use or share health information
• be told if your information is lost, stolen or shared with someone without authorization
• change your mind if you have previously given us permission to use or share your health information.

To exercise your rights and choices, which are subject to some exceptions, please speak with your therapist or ask at The Sites Information and Privacy Office.

The Sites’ Privacy Policy is available here: https://scattergramcc.com/terms-of-use-and-privacy-policy/

Questions or complaints about privacy practices at The Sites may be addressed to The Sites Information and Privacy Office at privacy@scattergramcc.com or  privacy@ndosconsulting.com. You may also make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario by calling 416 326-3333, or toll-free at 1 800 387-0073, or by visiting their website at: www.ipc.on.ca.

Access to Health Records

To access your personal health information in your The Sites Health Record, please contact the Privacy Officer at privacy@scattergramcc.com. 

Access to Information

As of January 1, 2012, all Ontario hospitals are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. FIPPA gives members of the public the right to request access to The Sites records, other than health records. The Sites support this increased public accountability and transparency.

If you can’t find what you are looking for and would like to make an access request, please contact The Sites’ Information and Privacy Office at privacy@scattergramcc.com.

Last Updated: 15 September 2022