Privacy Statement & Terms of Use

Your consent and acceptance of these terms

By accessing or using this site or providing personal information to us, you acknowledge reading this Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and confirm your agreement with these terms and conditions.

We reserve the right to update this policy at any time. Users are responsible for reviewing this document periodically for changes.

This Privacy Statement, your access to and use of our website and its content, and any proceedings arising out of that access or use, will be governed by British Columbia law. If there is any conflict between this Privacy Statement and any other agreement between you or your business and Vancouver Coastal Health, that other agreement will prevail.

Personal information is not collected on this site without your consent

Personal information is any recorded information on an identifiable individual. This may include, but is not limited to, an individual’s name, address, e-mail address telephone number, age, identifying number, fingerprints, blood type, health care history, education, financial, criminal or employment history.

We do not automatically collect personal information from visitors to this website. However, there may be situations where we request personal information and you provide it voluntarily for a specific purpose. For example, where you provide feedback, complete and submit forms or log into a secure section of the site. We have privacy and security measures in place to protect all personal information collected from you.

Unless authorized by law, any personal information that you provide will not be disclosed beyond the organization and will only be shared internally to fulfil the specific purpose for which you provided the information.

Read the Health records & privacy page to learn more about how we protect your privacy.

Web statistics

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses first-party cookies to track visitor interactions. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of this website, compiling reports on website activity for the website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.

You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser - however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

VCH uses IP masking within Google Analytics to anonymize personal information collected by Google. IP masking is a customization which removes the last octet of the visitor's IP address prior to its use and storage by Google.

Website visitors who do not want to be tracked by Google Analytics can download the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics. The Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on does not prevent information from being sent to the website itself or to other web analytics services.

We use cookies to enhance your experience

A cookie is a text-only piece of information that a website sends to the cookie file of your browser that is stored on your computer's hard drive. A cookie will typically contain the name of the website storing the cookie, the lifetime of the cookie and unique number of the cookie. Any website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it. But to protect your privacy, your browser only permits a website to access its own cookies not the cookies of other sites. Cookies cannot be used to run or install programs or deliver viruses to a user's computer.

We use cookies to improve your website experience and to arrange content according to your interests and viewing preferences. Cookies also help us understand traffic patterns so that we can improve site navigation. Cookies cannot be used by themselves to identify you and do not hold or track any personal information about you.

Remarketing

This site uses remarketing tools, which enable VCH to serve you with relevant advertisements outside of the VCH domain.

VCH may work with third parties, on occasion, using cookies, pixels, remarketing tools and similar technologies to collect or receive information from this website and use that information to provide measurement services and targeted ads. This helps VCH promote this website to those who have already shown an interest in VCH.

Remarketing tools work by using cookies (small files stored on your computer’s web browser). You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser (please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website). Some service providers also allow you to opt out of their use of cookies for advertising purposes, e.g. Google Ad's Settings Page.

Modifying cookie preferences in your browser

You can accept or decline cookies by modifying the settings in your browser. However, you may not be able to use all the interactive features on the website if cookies are disabled. Because each browser is different, check the Help menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. We do not endorse third-party information or links. The listing of third-party products, services or websites on this site does not constitute or imply our recommendation or endorsement of these services, products or points of view, unless explicitly stated.

Any listings of services, products or other resources are samples only and are not exhaustive. The information on this site is not intended as medical advice or a substitute for obtaining medical or other professional advice. If you have specific questions or concerns about your health, please consult a physician.

Website links

This website contains links to the websites of outside organizations. By providing these links, we are not endorsing these websites or implying any affiliation or association with the organizations concerned. We are also not responsible for the privacy practices, content, transactions and the functioning of those sites.

You cannot use any of our icons or logos on your website without permission, and you may not use the link to our homepage to suggest that we sponsor, endorse, approve or are affiliated with you, your business or website.

Copyright and permission to reproduce

The content of this website is for your personal and non-commercial use. The names, logos, symbols, trademarks, photographs and/or likeness, graphics, illustrations, video, music, sound, images and other materials available are protected by copyright and trademark laws and may not be used or reproduced without the prior written approval the party to whom they belong.

Unless otherwise stated, text on this website may be reproduced for non-commercial personal purposes only, provided any copyright and other notices are retained. Further, any reproductions may not be represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, or as having been made in affiliation with or as endorsed by us. Downloading, copying, selling or distributing any content from this website is prohibited except as provided above. Contact us for more information on our authorization and release policies.

Disclaimer of warranties and liabilities

While we undertake reasonable efforts to provide current information on this website, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information or the availability of this website. The information on this website is provided on an 'as is' and 'as available' basis. We make no representation regarding the content on this website or its suitability for any purpose. We disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties related to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

In no event shall we be liable to any person, business or organization of any kind, for any claims of direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages based on or arising from any use of this website or any other website and their contents to which this site is linked, whether arising in contract, or otherwise.

Email or text messaging

Visit the Information Privacy Office page to learn more about emailing or texting VCH staff or physicians.

Information privacy office 

We welcome your comments and questions about our Privacy Statement. If you have questions, please contact our Information Privacy Office.