County of Marin Health and Human Services

Privacy

Privacy Statement (Effective 12/20/2021)

The County of Marin Department of Health & Human Services (Marin HHS) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals using our Websites: marinhhs.org, marinbhrs.org, and bhrsprevention.org. Though collection of personal information of individuals using or visiting our Websites may be required, either by law or in order for us to provide a requested service, any information acquired is subject to the privacy requirements set forth in, among others, the Information Practices Act of 1977 (California Civil Code Section 1798 et seq.), the requirements for administering information systems in California (Government Code Section 11015.5), and other applicable laws and regulations related to privacy.

Marin HHS’s Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) governs the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI). PHI means personally identifiable information about an individual’s physical health, mental health, or condition, the provision of health care to an individual, and the payment for health care services. Marin HHS’s NPP can be found here. Links are also provided at the bottom of each Marin HHS webpage.

For the purposes of this Privacy Statement, “personal information” is information about a natural person that identifies or describes an individual, including, but not limited to, the individual’s name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment history, readily identifiable to that specific individual. Electronically collected personal information as such is defined under Cal Gov. Code section 11015.5(d).

Marin HHS will only collect, retain, and use personal information voluntarily provided by those using or visiting our Websites where it is allowed by law and essential to administer Marin HHS business and to provide services and other opportunities requested. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without consent from the minor’s parent or legal guardian in compliance with State and Federal laws.

In general, the purpose of Marin HHS’s Internet presence is to share information, enable wider connectivity to County functions to improve service to the public, and to meet the needs of County staff.

Prior to the collection of personal information, the user will be notified of the purposes for which personally identifiable data are collected. Any subsequent use of the data shall be limited to and consistent with the fulfillment of those purposes.

  • Personal data that we collect may not be disclosed, made available, or otherwise used for a purpose other than those specified, except with the consent of the individual who is the subject of the data, or as permitted or required by law or regulation.
  • Personal data is protected against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification, or disclosure. Access to such data is limited to only those employees who need access to perform their assigned duties.
  • For each user, information is automatically collected about the source Internet Protocol (IP) address, type of browser used, the date and time of the visit, and the links accessed on our webpages.
    • Please be advised that some software we use to administer our Websites or to provide requested services use a technology called "cookies".
    • A "cookie" is a tiny element of data that a website can send to your browser, which may then be stored on your hard drive. A cookie cannot read data off a hard drive or read cookie files created by other sites. User information is not gathered through cookies except where information is needed to run a specific application, and it is used for this purpose only. You may set your browser to not allow any cookies to be stored on your hard drive or to notify you when you receive a cookie.
  • Marin HHS Websites use Google Analytics to help understand how users interact with our Websites. We also embed video content from YouTube for informational purposes. When you visit a website that uses Google Analytics or embeds video content from YouTube, your web browser automatically sends certain information to Google, including the URL of the page you are visiting and your IP address. You can read Google’s security and privacy policies for Google Analytics. You can choose to not have your data used by Google Analytics by downloading their opt-out browser add-on. Selecting to opt out will not interfere with your ability to use Marin HHS Websites. To provide users with certain information, some pages in Marin HHS Websites embed content from other applications or websites that may allow third party cookies or similar user-tracking technologies. Marin HHS cannot guarantee that Do Not Track requests from users will be honored.
  • Marin HHS does not sell or rent Website users’ information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by State or Federal law.
  • Marin HHS has implemented and maintains administrative, physical, and technological safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all personal information submitted by users of our Websites.

This Privacy Statement only applies to Marin HHS Websites. Pages that appear after you click on a link may be controlled by a different agency or entity whose practices are not under Marin HHS's control.


Report a suspected privacy rights (HIPAA) violation

View the Federal Government Frequently Asked Questions on HIPAA

If you suspect that there may be an occurrence of Fraud, Waste or Abuse of Medi-Cal or Medicare Resources or other Compliance or Privacy Concerns you can contact the HHS Anonymous Compliance Hotline (415) 473-6948.

You can send written correspondence to: Compliance & Privacy Program 20 N. San Pedro – 2 nd Floor San Rafael, CA 94903

E-mail can also be sent to HHSCompliance@marincounty.org