Privacy Policy & Notice of Health Information Practices

1. Who We Are

SILC Health is a behavioral healthcare operating company headquartered at Franklin, TN. We own and support seven treatment facilities in California and Georgia. This website, silchealth.com (the “Site”), is operated by SILC Health as a corporate umbrella site and does not deliver clinical care directly. Clinical care is delivered at individual SILC Health facilities, each of which maintains and distributes its own facility Notice of Privacy Practices governed by HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, and applicable state law.

For questions about this policy, contact us at info@silchealth.com or (844) 422-8640.

2. What We Collect

Information You Provide

We collect information you submit through forms on the Site, including the Refer-a-Client form. The information collected typically includes: the referrer's name, role, organization, email address, phone number, the client's first name only, the referrer's preferred contact method, and brief notes describing the inquiry.

We explicitly request that submitters do not include Protected Health Information (PHI) in free-text fields. We apply automated redaction to common PHI patterns prior to delivery to admissions staff, but no automated system is perfect. Do not submit clinical detail through this Site. If you need to share clinical detail during a referral, call admissions at (844) 422-8640.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, our hosting and analytics infrastructure may automatically log: IP address, browser type and version, device type, the page you arrived from, the pages you visit on the Site, and timestamps. This information is used for security, rate limiting, and aggregate usage measurement. You may visit the Site anonymously without submitting any personal information.

Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect or store payment or financial information on the Site. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13 years of age. We do not collect biometric identifiers, precise geolocation, or sensitive personal information beyond what you voluntarily provide.

3. How We Use Information

Information collected through the Site is used to:

• Route referrals from clinicians and partners to our central admissions team at admissions@silchealth.com
• Respond to inquiries from clinicians, referral partners, press, and prospective clients
• Measure aggregate usage to improve the Site, our content, and our outreach
• Detect, prevent, and investigate security incidents, fraud, or abuse of the Site
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests

We do not sell your information, rent your information, or use it for third-party marketing. We do not use the information you submit to train AI systems outside the scope of operating this Site.

4. How We Protect Information

We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information consistent with our obligations under HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2 where applicable, and state privacy law. These safeguards include:

• TLS encryption in transit for all form submissions
• Encryption at rest for any submission data retained beyond processing
• Role-based access controls limiting access to personnel with a legitimate operational need
• Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with vendors who could foreseeably handle Protected Health Information, including our email infrastructure, hosting provider, and call-tracking provider
• Audit logging and security monitoring
• Periodic review of access, configuration, and incident response procedures

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we follow industry-standard practices and the safeguards required of a HIPAA-covered behavioral healthcare operator.

5. Cookies & Call Tracking

Cookies

This Site uses cookies and similar technologies required for basic functionality (such as remembering your preferences within a session) and for the call-tracking integration described below. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or share cookie data with advertising networks.

You may disable cookies in your browser. The Site will continue to function, though some convenience features may not work as intended.

Call Tracking — CallTrackingMetrics

This Site uses CallTrackingMetrics, a HIPAA-compliant call-tracking service, to measure which marketing and referral channels lead visitors to call SILC Health. CallTrackingMetrics may dynamically display a tracking phone number in place of our published number and may set cookies to attribute a phone call to the visit that preceded it.

Information collected by the call-tracking integration includes the visited URL, the referring URL, IP address, a session identifier, and call metadata (time, duration, originating number). CallTrackingMetrics operates under a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with SILC Health and is contractually obligated to safeguard information consistent with HIPAA.

We do not submit Protected Health Information to CallTrackingMetrics through this Site. The contents of phone conversations placed to a SILC Health facility are governed by that facility's Notice of Privacy Practices, not by this Site.

6. Third Parties & External Links

Service Providers

We share information with a limited number of trusted service providers who assist with operating the Site, including hosting, email delivery, and call tracking. These providers are contractually required to handle information consistent with this policy and, where applicable, under a Business Associate Agreement.

Disclosures Required by Law

We may release information when required to do so by subpoena, court order, or other lawful process; to enforce our policies; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of SILC Health, our patients, employees, or others.

Links to Other Sites

This Site links to the websites of individual SILC Health facilities and to other affiliated properties. Each linked site maintains its own privacy practices, and we encourage you to review them. SILC Health is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of websites not operated by SILC Health.

7. Children & State Privacy Laws

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

This Site is directed to clinicians, referral partners, and prospective clients aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13 years of age. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, contact us at info@silchealth.com and we will delete it.

California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)

California residents have the right to know what categories of personal information we collect and to request deletion of personal information we hold about them, subject to exceptions in applicable law. We do not distribute personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. To exercise these rights, contact us at info@silchealth.com.

Other State Privacy Laws

Where state law provides additional rights or protections (including but not limited to laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Tennessee, Virginia, and other jurisdictions), we will comply with those obligations as they apply to information collected through this Site.

8. Contacting Us About This Site

For questions about this policy or your Site privacy:

• Email: info@silchealth.com
• Phone: (844) 422-8640
• Mail: SILC Health, Franklin, TN

1. Who This Notice Applies To

This Notice applies to Protected Health Information (PHI) created or received by SILC Health and the SILC Health facilities — including substance use treatment records subject to 42 CFR Part 2 — in connection with treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.

Your health record contains health history, symptoms, examination and test results, diagnoses, treatment received, treatment plans, and future care recommendations. It serves as:

• A basis for planning your care and treatment
• A means of communication among healthcare providers contributing to your care
• A legal document describing the care you received
• Verification that billed services were provided
• A source of data for medical education and outcomes research
• A source for public health reporting required by law

2. Your Health Information Rights

Although your health record is the physical property of the SILC Health facility that compiled it, the information belongs to you. You have the right to:

• Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your PHI (45 CFR § 164.522 and 42 CFR Part 2)
• Obtain a paper or electronic copy of this Notice upon request
• Inspect and obtain a paper or electronic copy of your health record (45 CFR § 164.524)
• Request an amendment to your health record (45 CFR § 164.526)
• Receive an accounting of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI (45 CFR § 164.528)
• Request communications about your health by alternative means or at alternative locations
• Revoke a prior authorization to use or disclose health information, except to the extent action has already been taken in reliance on that authorization
• Receive notice if there is a breach of unsecured PHI affecting your information

3. Uses & Disclosures With Your Consent

With your written authorization, we use and disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations as follows.

Treatment

Information obtained by clinicians, counselors, physicians, nurses, and other treatment-team members is documented and used to determine the appropriate course of treatment. With your consent, we provide subsequent healthcare providers — including aftercare providers, primary care physicians, and outside specialists — with diagnoses, assessment summaries, and treatment information necessary for continued care.

Payment

With your consent, we use and disclose information about treatment you receive to bill and collect payment from you, your health plan, or another responsible party. Disclosures to a health plan may include identifying information, diagnosis, procedures, and descriptions of services. You have the right to restrict disclosure of services to a health plan if you have paid in full out of pocket for those services.

Healthcare Operations

Members of the treatment team, utilization review coordinators, and quality improvement personnel use information in your health record to assess care quality and outcomes, evaluate the performance of staff and programs, and continually improve the quality and effectiveness of treatment.

Business Associates

We contract with outside individuals and organizations (“business associates”) to perform services that require access to PHI — for example, billing services, laboratories, outside pharmacies, and certain technology providers. Each business associate is bound by a written agreement to safeguard your information consistent with HIPAA and, where applicable, 42 CFR Part 2.

4. Uses & Disclosures Without Your Consent

HIPAA permits — and in some cases requires — disclosure of PHI without your written authorization in specific circumstances. These include the following, with the understanding that 42 CFR Part 2 imposes additional restrictions on substance use treatment records even where HIPAA would permit disclosure (see Section 5).

Emergencies

We may disclose information necessary to provide emergency treatment to you or to alert authorities if we reasonably believe doing so is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person or the public.

Required by Law

We disclose information when required by federal, state, or local law — for example, in response to a court order, subpoena, administrative order, or to comply with a mandatory reporting statute.

Public Health Activities

We may disclose information for public health purposes consistent with applicable law — for example, to prevent or control disease, report adverse drug events, or notify a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease.

Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence

We may disclose information to authorities when required by law to report suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.

Health Oversight

We may disclose information to health oversight agencies — such as state licensing boards or accreditation bodies — for audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure activities authorized by law.

Judicial & Administrative Proceedings

We may disclose information in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena or discovery request, subject to the additional protections of 42 CFR Part 2 for substance use records.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose information to law enforcement officials in limited circumstances permitted by law — for example, in response to a valid warrant, to identify or locate a suspect, or to report certain crimes.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, & Funeral Directors

We may disclose information to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

Research

We may disclose information for research purposes when the research has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) with protocols ensuring confidentiality, or under a valid waiver of authorization consistent with HIPAA and Part 2.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose information as necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws.

Notification of Family & Personal Representatives

With your agreement, in emergencies, or where consent is implied by the circumstances, we may notify family members, personal representatives, or another person you designate of your location, general condition, and treatment.

Un-emancipated Minors

To the extent permitted by state law and 42 CFR Part 2, we may disclose PHI of un-emancipated minors to a parent, legal guardian, or person acting in loco parentis.

5. Special Protections for Substance Use Records (42 CFR Part 2)

Federal law (42 CFR Part 2) provides additional confidentiality protections for records of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment received from a federally assisted SUD program. These protections are stricter than HIPAA and apply to most SILC Health treatment records related to substance use.

Under 42 CFR Part 2:

• We generally may not disclose to any person outside SILC Health that you attended or were referred to a SILC Health SUD program, or any information identifying you as a person with a substance use disorder, without your written consent
• Federal law and regulation protect this information whether you are currently a patient or were a patient in the past
• Violation of these protections by any person is a federal crime and may be reported to the appropriate authorities
• Federal law does not protect any information about a crime committed by a patient either at the program or against any person who works for the program, or about any threat to commit such a crime
• Federal law and regulation do not protect any information about suspected child abuse or neglect from being reported under state law to appropriate state or local authorities
• Disclosures of Part 2 records require an explicit notice prohibiting redisclosure unless further disclosure is expressly permitted by the written consent of the person to whom it pertains or as otherwise permitted by 42 CFR Part 2

If you have questions about how Part 2 applies to your care, ask your treatment-facility privacy officer or contact SILC Health Compliance at info@silchealth.com.

6. Our Responsibilities

SILC Health and our facilities are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of your PHI
• Provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices regarding PHI we collect and maintain about you
• Abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect
• Notify you in writing if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction
• Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate health information by alternative means or at alternative locations
• Notify you and, where required, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) if a breach of unsecured PHI occurs
• Comply with the additional protections of 42 CFR Part 2 with respect to substance use treatment records

7. Changes to This Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make new Notice provisions effective for all PHI we maintain. When we materially change this Notice, we will post the updated version at silchealth.com/privacy with a new effective date. The current version will be available on request from any of our SILC Health facilities and from SILC Health Compliance.

8. Filing a Complaint

Privacy Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with SILC Health Compliance, the privacy officer at the SILC Health facility where you received care, or directly with the federal government. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

SILC Health Compliance:

• Email: info@silchealth.com
• Phone: (844) 422-8640
• Mail: SILC Health Compliance, Franklin, TN

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights:

• Email: OCRComplaint@hhs.gov
• Phone: 1-800-368-1019 (TDD: 1-800-537-7697)
• Online: hhs.gov/ocr/complaints

Quality-of-Care Concerns (Not a Privacy Complaint)

Concerns about the quality of clinical care, treatment approach, or facility operations are not privacy complaints and are handled through a different process. Direct quality-of-care concerns to the program director at the facility where you received care, or to SILC Health at info@silchealth.com. State licensing boards and accreditation organizations also accept complaints; contact information is available on request.