Notice of Privacy Practices

EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS NOTICE

This notice first went into effect on March 1, 2021 and was last updated on April 18, 2026.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

I. OUR PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION

As A Ray Of Hope, LLC and its clinicians understand that health information about you and your care is personal. We are committed to protecting your health information. We create a record of the care and services you receive from us. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all records of your care generated by As A Ray Of Hope, LLC and its clinicians. This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose health information about you. It also describes your rights regarding the health information we keep about you and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information.

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy of protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you
• Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices 
• Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect 
• Notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your PHI

We may change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request.

II. HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose health information. For each category, we will explain what we mean and provide examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed, but all permitted uses and disclosures will fall within one of these categories.

Treatment, Payment, or Health Care Operations

Federal privacy regulations allow health care providers who have a direct treatment relationship with the patient to use or disclose personal health information without written authorization for treatment, payment, or health care operations.

We may also disclose your protected health information to another health care provider for the purposes of treatment. For example, if a clinician consults with another licensed health care provider about your condition, we may share relevant health information in order to assist with diagnosis or treatment. Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited by the minimum necessary standard because health care providers may need access to the full record to provide quality care. The term “treatment” includes, among other things:

• Coordination and management of health care
• Consultation between health care providers
• Referrals between health care providers
   

Lawsuits and Disputes

If you are involved in a lawsuit or legal dispute, we may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order.

We may also disclose health information in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process if efforts have been made to notify you or obtain an order protecting the requested information.

III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION

Psychotherapy Notes

Our clinicians may maintain psychotherapy notes as defined in 45 CFR §164.501. Any use or disclosure of psychotherapy notes requires your written authorization unless the use or disclosure is:

• For use in treating you
• For use in training or supervising mental health practitioners 
• For defending against legal action brought by you
• For investigation by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Required by law
• Required for certain health oversight activities
• Required by a coroner or medical examiner
• Necessary to prevent a serious threat to health or safety
   

Marketing Purposes

We do not use or disclose your protected health information for marketing purposes.

Sale of PHI

We do not sell protected health information.

IV. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE AUTHORIZATION

Subject to certain limitations in the law, we may use and disclose your PHI without authorization for the following reasons:

1. When disclosure is required by state or federal law.
2. For public health activities, including reporting suspected abuse or neglect, preventing disease, assisting in product recalls, or reporting adverse reactions to medications.
3. For health oversight activities such as audits or investigations.
4. For judicial and administrative proceedings.
5. For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on our premises or assisting law enforcement in locating or identifying a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person.
6. To coroners or medical examiners performing duties authorized by law.
7. For research purposes, such as studying and comparing mental health treatment outcomes.
8. For specialized government functions including military or national security activities.
9. For workers’ compensation purposes in order to comply with workers’ compensation laws.
10. For appointment reminders or to provide information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits or services.
     

V. USES AND DISCLOSURES WHERE YOU MAY OBJECT

We may disclose your protected health information to a family member, friend, or other person involved in your care or payment for your care unless you object.

In emergency situations, consent may be obtained retroactively.

VI. USE AND DISCLOSURE OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RECORDS (42 CFR PART 2)

Some of your health information may be protected by federal law 42 CFR Part 2, which provides additional protections for records related to substance use disorder diagnosis, treatment, or referral for treatment.

These records may only be used or disclosed as permitted by federal law or with your written consent.

Recipients of substance use disorder records are required to comply with applicable federal confidentiality laws and may not use or disclose the information except as permitted by law.

VII. YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PHI

You have the following rights regarding your protected health information:

Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures

You have the right to ask us not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to your request if it would affect your care.

Right to Restrict Disclosure to Health Plans

You have the right to request that we not disclose information to your health plan if the service has been paid for out-of-pocket in full.

Right to Request Confidential Communications

You have the right to request that we contact you in a specific way or at a specific location.

Right to Access Your Records

You have the right to obtain a paper or electronic copy of your medical record and other information we maintain about you, excluding psychotherapy notes. We will provide copies within 30 days of receiving your written request and may charge a reasonable cost-based fee.

Right to Receive an Accounting of Disclosures

You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI made by our practice within the previous six years.

Right to Request Amendments

If you believe that information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny your request but will provide a written explanation within 30 days.

Right to Receive a Copy of This Notice

You have the right to receive a paper or electronic copy of this Notice at any time.

VIII. TECHNOLOGY USED IN YOUR TREATMENT

We use secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic systems to manage records, communicate with clients, and provide telehealth services.

These platforms may include:

• SimplePractice (Electronic Health Record and billing system)

In some cases, clinicians may use secure documentation support tools that assist with summarizing or organizing clinical documentation in order to allow clinicians to spend more time focused on patient care.

IX. COMPLAINTS

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated or you disagree with a decision regarding access to your records, you may file a complaint.

You may contact:

Cheri Watson, MHA, CPCO

Privacy Official

As A Ray Of Hope, LLC

Phone: 877-786-4801

Email: cheri@asarayofhope.com

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

PRACTICE CONTACT INFORMATION

As A Ray Of Hope, LLC

111 West Port Plaza

Suite 624

Saint Louis, MO 63146

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), you have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information. Log into the secure client portal to download a copy of the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.