Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: February 16, 2026
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
1. OUR DUTY TO YOU. We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI), to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of unsecured PHI. We must follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
2. USES AND DISCLOSURES OF YOUR INFORMATION. We may use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes without your authorization:
• Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your health care. Example: Sharing information with your specialist or a hospital where you are being referred.
• Payment: To bill and collect payment for services. Example: Sending a claim to your insurance company.
• Health Care Operations: For internal activities like quality assessment or staff training.
• Business Associates: We may share your health information with third-party “business associates” (such as our billing service or software providers) who perform functions on our behalf. We have written contracts with these associates requiring them to protect your info just as we do.
3. PUBLIC INTEREST AND MANDATORY DISCLOSURES. We may also disclose your PHI without your authorization for these specific purposes:
1. Required by Law: When federal, state, or local law requires it.
2. Public Health: To report diseases, injuries, or vital statistics.
3. Abuse & Neglect: To report suspected child or elder abuse to authorities.
4. Health Oversight: To agencies for audits or investigations (e.g., NYS DOH).
5. Legal Proceedings: In response to a court order.
6. Law Enforcement: To identify a suspect or report a crime on our premises.
7. Serious Threat: To avert a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.
8. Military/National Security: For specialized government functions.
9. Workers’ Compensation: For work-related injury claims.
10. Secretary of HHS: We must disclose your PHI to the Dept. of Health and Human Services if they are investigating our compliance.
4. SPECIAL PROTECTIONS (NEW YORK & SUD UPDATES). New York law and recent federal updates provide extra protection for certain types of records:
• Behavioral Health Records: Under New York law, we generally cannot disclose your mental health records to third parties (including law enforcement or in response to a subpoena) without your specific written consent or a court order.
• Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Records: Even though we are not an addiction clinic, we may receive SUD records from other providers. These records will not be used or disclosed in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you without your written consent or a court order.
• Redisclosure Warning: Once we disclose your information to a third party as permitted by this Notice, that information may no longer be protected by federal privacy laws and may be redisclosed by the recipient.
5. USES REQUIRING YOUR AUTHORIZATION. We must obtain your written authorization for:
• Psychotherapy Notes. Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.
• Marketing. Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes or the sale of PHI.
• Fundraising. We may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you have the right to opt-out of receiving such communications. Any fundraising communication that may be sent to you will explain how you can easily tell us not to contact you again for this purpose.
• Any other use not described in this Notice.
You may revoke an authorization at any time in writing.
6. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PHI
• Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to see and get a copy of your records.
• Right to Amend: You may ask us to correct your record if you believe it is wrong.
• Right to an Accounting: You may request a list of certain “non-routine” disclosures.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You may ask us to limit how we use or share your info. We are not required to agree, unless you pay for a service 100% out-of-pocket and ask us not to share that info with your health plan.
• Confidentiality: You may request we contact you at a specific phone number or address.
7. COMPLAINTS. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact:
• Our Privacy Officer at: Lighthouse Guild International, Inc., Privacy Officer/General Counsel, 250 West 64th Street, New York, NY 10023 or (212) 769-6212
• U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services at: Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Jacob Javits Federal Building 26 Federal Plaza, Suite 3312 New York, NY 10278
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
7. REVISIONS TO THIS NOTICE. We reserve the right to change this Notice. The new Notice will apply to all PHI we already have, as well as any future info.