01
Who follows this notice
This notice applies to Check Coast, a program of One Check Away, Inc., and to every clinician, staff member, and contractor who cares for you through Check Coast. That includes care delivered in our private wellness suite, on the Check Coast mobile clinic, at community care sites, by video or phone, and through secure messaging. Check Coast exists to make sexual health and preventive care private. Privacy is not a policy we add at the end; it is the service. This notice explains exactly where your information goes and why.
02
For your treatment
Your Check Coast clinician uses your history, test results, and medications to care for you. We share the minimum information needed with the pharmacy you choose to fill your prescription (which may be a Walgreens, CVS, or AB Specialty Pharmacy location, or Hallandale Pharmacy); the laboratory that processes your sample, such as Labcorp or an at-home testing laboratory; and another clinician you are referred to, such as an HIV care provider if a test is reactive.
03
For payment
If you choose to use insurance, we share the information your insurer needs to pay the claim. If you pay yourself, nothing goes to your insurer. See "Your rights" below.
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For health care operations
We use information to run Check Coast safely: quality review, staff training, audits, licensing, and the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, which requires us to document that each prescription we manage belongs to a Check Coast patient.
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Through business associates
We use outside companies to deliver care. Each one signs a Business Associate Agreement that legally binds it to protect your information to the same standard. They include our electronic health record (Athenahealth), telehealth clinicians (Alina Telehealth), secure messaging (Spruce Health), intake forms (Jotform), interpretation (Jeenie), and payment processing (Stripe).
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When the law requires or allows it
We may share information without your permission only in these situations, and only as much as the law allows: public health reporting (Florida law requires us to report positive HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis, and other listed results to the Florida Department of Health); reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child or vulnerable adult, as Florida law requires; preventing a serious and imminent threat to someone’s health or safety; health oversight, such as an inspection by the Florida Department of Health or a federal 340B audit by HRSA; a court order or other legal process that meets the requirements of federal and Florida law; law enforcement, only in the limited circumstances federal law permits; and workers’ compensation, coroners and medical examiners, organ donation, military authorities for service members, and national security, as the law requires.
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Florida protections that go further than federal law
Where Florida law gives you more privacy than HIPAA, we follow Florida law. HIV test results may not be released without your specific written authorization, except to the narrow list of recipients Florida law names (Fla. Stat. 381.004); a general medical-records release is not enough. Sexually transmitted infection records held by the Department of Health are confidential and protected from release (Fla. Stat. 384.29). Your medical records may not be furnished to anyone other than you, your legal representative, or other treating providers without your written authorization, except as Florida law specifically allows (Fla. Stat. 456.057). We keep your electronic records on systems located in the United States (Fla. Stat. 408.051).
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What we will never do without your written permission
Sell your information. Ever. Use your information for marketing, including sharing it with advertisers: your intake answers, test results, and appointment details are never sent to Meta, Grindr, Sniffies, Google, or any advertising platform, and our website and intake forms do not place advertising trackers on pages where you enter health information. Share psychotherapy notes, if any exist. Use or share your information for any reason not listed in this notice. If you give written permission, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Revocation stops future sharing; it cannot undo sharing that already happened.
09
Fundraising
One Check Away, Inc. is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and with the State of Florida as a charitable organization (Registration No. CH79069), and may contact you about supporting its programs. You may opt out of all fundraising communications by emailing wecare@1checkaway.org or calling 941.231.9300. Opting out never affects your care. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352), OR VISITING WWW.FLORIDACONSUMERHELP.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
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Your right to see and get a copy of your records
You may get an electronic or paper copy, usually within 15 days and never more than 30 days. Ask in Spruce or email wecare@checkcoast.com. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies, as federal and Florida law permit, and will tell you the fee before preparing the copy.
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Your right to correct your records
Send a written request to our Privacy Officer. We will respond in writing within 60 days.
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Your right to keep a service from your insurer
If you pay in full yourself, we must honor your request not to send that service to your health plan. Tell us before your visit.
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Your right to choose how we contact you
Spruce only, a different phone number, no voicemail, no mail to your home. Tell us your preference, and we will honor any reasonable request without asking why.
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Your other rights
You may ask us to limit other sharing (we will consider every request, though we are not required to agree except for the self-pay restriction above); request a list of certain disclosures made in the past six years, free once a year; be notified automatically if your unsecured information is compromised; get a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you received it electronically; and choose someone to act for you, such as a health care surrogate, guardian, or person with power of attorney, by providing the legal document.
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Our duties
We are required by law to protect your information, to give you this notice, to follow the notice currently in effect, and to notify you after any breach of unsecured information. We may change this notice; the new notice will apply to all information we hold and will be posted at checkcoast.com, on the mobile clinic, and available on request.
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About Check Coast
Check Coast Community Care is a program of One Check Away, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation (Florida Document No. N20000008113) recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN 85-2075020). Clinical services are provided by autonomous advanced practice registered nurses licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing under Chapter 464, Florida Statutes, with clinical leadership from our Medical Director, a Florida-licensed physician. HIV testing is provided as a Florida Department of Health registered HIV testing site (Site No. 12-960) and under CLIA Certificate of Waiver No. 10D2325511, issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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Questions and complaints
Privacy Officer: Darrick T. Paul, Chief Administrative Officer, 1680 Fruitville Road, Suite 205, Sarasota, FL 34236. You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201, 1-800-368-1019. We will never retaliate against you for filing a complaint.