Website Privacy
At Adventist HealthCare Limited (AHCL), we understand that health is a very personal, private subject, and we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of visitors to our sites.
Adventist HealthCare Limited must comply with the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) under the Privacy Act 1988, the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), and other privacy laws that govern how private health service providers handle your personal information.
This Privacy Policy will tell you what information we collect from the website, how it is used, and what your choices are. Please read this policy carefully.
Collection - Personal Information
What personal information does AHCL collect via the website?
When accessing or using AHCL websites, we do not attempt to identify you as a particular user and we generally do not collect any personal information. However, sometimes we do require you to supply personal information in order to provide services that you request. In most cases where we ask you to provide information about yourself, if you do not supply us with that information, we will not be able to provide you with the requested service.
You may be asked to provide personal information, such as name and contact details and/or demographic information for items such as class or event registration, information requests or to provide feedback.
Only authorised AHCL staff who need the information you provide to perform a specific task have access to your information. All AHCL hospital staff are required to sign a privacy agreement and abide by the Hospital's Policy on Privacy and Confidentiality.
Emails
When providing personal information via email to AHCL hospitals / businesses, please be aware that inherently, email messages can be viewed by other Internet users while in transit. Although this risk is usually quite small, if you have personal or other information to discuss, you may wish to contact the person or department by phone or mail.
Newsletters
When completing admission paperwork you have the option to opt out of receiving marketing and general communication from AHCL and San Foundation. If you do not opt out you may receive this material by email or post. This information is securely stored in the AHCL database and can be updated by you at any time. You may unsubscribe from email communications at any time via a link in any email received, and from email or mailed communications by contacting the Privacy Officer on 02 9480 9898 or via privacy@sah.org.au.
Health Tools Information
You may need to provide personal information in order to use some of the health tools on our site. This information may include your answers to questions about your health status. We use this information to calculate your personalised answer; we don't store or share it.
Links to third party websites
AHCL websites offer links and some interactive functions that are operated by third parties as a convenience for you. If you choose to use a link or one of these functions, please recognise that AHCL has no control over the privacy policies and practices of such third parties. If you have any concerns, you are urged to review the privacy terms of those sites.
Are there advertisements on AHCL web sites?
AHCL does not accept advertisements on its web sites.
Web-based financial transactions
AHCL web-enabled financial transactions such as paying your account or making a donation are wholly processed through the Westpac Secure Payment site. No personal information or account details are collected or stored by AHCL during these transactions. For more detail regarding Westpac's Secure Payment security and privacy policies, please click here.
Collection - Statistical Information
When you visit our website, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) will record and log the following information for statistical purposes:
- Your computer address (IP address)
- Your top level name (such as .com, .org, .gov, etc.)
- Date and time of your visit
- Pages and documents you access during your visit
- Browser you are using
IP addresses
We collect and log the IP address of all visitors to AHCL websites. An IP address is a number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the Internet. IP addresses allow computers and servers to recognise and communicate with one another. We collect IP address information so that we can properly administer our system and gather aggregate information about how our site is being used, including the pages visitors are viewing. This aggregate information may occasionally be shared with sponsors and other businesses. To maintain your anonymity, we do not associate IP addresses with records containing personal information.
Information Use & Data Security
In what ways is the collected personal and statistical information used?
Currently AHCL uses personal information you provide us only to process functions or requests that have been initiated by you. We will not disclose any of your personal information without your express consent unless we believe that:
- it is required by law;
- to protect our rights or property or those of any user of this site, or any member of the public; or
- to lessen a serious threat to a person's health or safety.
Information requested on voluntary forms is used to provide services that you have asked for, such as registration for classes, mailing of publications, and so forth.
AHCL may occasionally provide statistics to third parties related to the number of visitors who use the site. These statistics do not provide personally identifiable information. There are no current plans to make other disclosures of such information and we will notify you through this on-line policy if there are any changes to these circumstances.
Does AHCL websites use "cookies" to collect user information?
"Cookies" are small parcels of text sent by a website server to your web browser and then sent back unchanged by your browser each time it accesses that web server. These types of cookies are used for authenticating, session tracking and maintaining non-personal information about users, such as site preferences.
AHCL websites do not use cookies to store any personal information.
General AHCL website users can browse the web site even if cookies have been disabled. However, AHCL Website users who are Doctors or site administrators will need to have cookies enabled in order to access their password protected sections of the website.
How we protect your personal information
AHCL is committed to ensuring that your personal information remains as secure as possible. Accordingly, we prevent unauthorised access by a secure firewall and use of security infrastructure to protect the integrity and privacy of the personal information you provide to us.
The same modern security software that guards our essential business and patient data protects your data as well. In addition to using security technology, we de-identify data before it is used in any aggregate reporting that may be done.
Ways you can update and gain access to your personal information
AHCL endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up to date. Subject to certain exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other applicable privacy legislation, you have the right to seek access to the personal information held about you and to advise AHCL of any inaccuracies. You can do this at any time by contacting the Privacy Officer on 02 9480 9898 or via privacy@sah.org.au.
Your Consent & Future Changes to the Web Privacy Policy
By choosing to use this Website, you acknowledge and agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. Please read this policy thoroughly. We may occasionally need to make changes to our Website Privacy Policy, to reflect changes in our site and address new issues. Changes will be posted here, so please refer to this policy regularly.
Website Privacy Query Process
If you have a question regarding AHCL website privacy, want to make an access request or if you believe your privacy rights may have been violated, Please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 9480 9898 or via privacy@sah.org.au.