GBP-P1 - Pledge of Confidentiality

The Prairie Spirit School Division recognizes and values the privacy and confidentiality of employees’ and students’ private, personal and health information.  It is their objective to provide employees and students with a level of privacy and confidentiality.

Staff, volunteers and students may become privy to a variety of information about students and their families and other employees by way of oral communication, written reports, supporting documentation, financial and/or benefit information.   

For the purpose of staff performing their job responsibilities, it may be necessary to share pertinent information.  If it is necessary to share personal information it will be done so on a “need-to-know” basis only.

As required under the Personal Heath Information Act, the Prairie Spirit School Division must ensure that each employee, trustee, and volunteer sign a Pledge of Confidentiality.  Such pledge includes an acknowledgement that the employee and volunteer is bound by the Division’s policies and procedures containing provisions for the security of personal health information during its collection, use, disclosure, storage, and destruction.

Accordingly, each employee, trustee and volunteer of the Division shall be provided with appropriate orientation on the policies and procedures, and shall sign the Pledge of Confidentiality.  (See Exhibit GBP-E1)

This policy will be reviewed annually with all staff at the beginning of each school year by the school administrator.

STATUTORY DEFINITION OF PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION

“Personal health information” means recorded information about an identifiable individual that relates to:

1. The individual’s health, or health care history, including genetic information about the individual;

2. The provisions of health care to the individual, or

3. Payment for health care provided to the individual, and includes

4. The PHIN and any other identifying number, symbol or particular assigned to an individual, and 

5. Any identifying information about the individual that is collected in the course of, and is incidental to, the provision of health care or payment for health care.

“Health care” means any care, service or procedure

1. Provided to diagnose, treat or maintain an individual’s physical or mental condition,

2. Provided to prevent disease or injury or promote health, or

3. That affects that structure or a function of the body, and

4. Includes the sale or dispensing of a drug, device, equipment or other item pursuant to a prescription.

“PHIN” means the personal health identification number assigned to an individual by the Minister of Health to uniquely identify the individual for health care purposes.

The Personal Health Information Act

M.R.  245/97