Personal Information on a Provincial Database
The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) uses the Ontario Community-Based Service Evaluation (OCASE) database to collect and store information related to ACT’s services users and the programs they access. This includes personal information such as your name, age, contact information, HIV status, and information about your use of ACT programs and services. By collecting this information, we are able to easily track our work with service users across the agency and better monitor and manage our programs and services.
We need your consent before we can use OCASE to record any personal information related to you and your use of ACT services. If you do not consent to ACT recording your personal information in our OCASE database, we will provide you with a unique identifier in order to record non-identifying information about you and your use of our programs and services. Without your consent, personally identifying information (your name and contact information) will not be recorded in OCASE.
Who can see my personal information in OCASE?
The information you provide to us is stored securely on a password protected server, accessible only at ACT’s offices. Only authorized ACT staff members can access the personal information recorded in our OCASE database. This includes ACT management and ACT support staff.
ACT will never share your personal information with a third party without explicitly obtaining your consent to do so.
Personal Information on Totally outRIGHT Program Tools and In Running the Program
Any hard copies of our other evaluation tools we use during the program which has your personal information, such as your name and contact information will be destroyed within a year after the program has ended. To maintain confidentiality, hard copy information will be stored in a secure location in our offices that can only be accessed by the program's staff and supervisors.
We will keep summarized versions of participants’ information. (e.g. "There were seven 26 year old participants.") This is used to assist us with measuring our program’s success, to plan future Totally outRIGHT events, to advertise the program, and to share with researchers and social service agencies that run events for young people.
ACT fully respects participants' individual confidentiality as prescribed by law. There are times when we would be required to share information about you specifically – those times would include if you told us you were going to harm yourself or someone else; you tell us about child abuse; or your information is subpoenaed by the courts.