Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: October 22, 2026
Grace Christian Counseling · 8700 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 3, Irwin, PA 15642 · Phone 724-863-7223 · Fax 724-863-8320
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
If you have questions about this notice, please contact our Privacy Officer (contact information is at the end of this notice) or call our office at 724-863-7223.

I. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

We understand that health information about you and your care is personal. Grace Christian Counseling (GCC) is committed to protecting it. We create a record of the care and services you receive, which we need to provide quality care and to meet legal requirements. This notice applies to all records of your care created or kept by GCC. It explains how we may use and share your health information, your rights regarding that information, and our responsibilities.
We are required by law to:
  • Keep the privacy and security of your protected health information (PHI).
  • Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.
  • Notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
  • Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect.
We may change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our offices, and on our website.

II. How We May Use and Share Your Health Information

The categories below describe the ways we use and share health information. Not every use or disclosure in a category is listed, but all of the ways we are permitted to use and share information fall within one of these categories.

Treatment

We may use and share your health information to provide and coordinate your care. For example, if your counselor consults with another licensed health care provider about your care, we may share the information needed to help with diagnosis and treatment. Disclosures for treatment are not limited to the "minimum necessary" standard, because counselors and other providers may need full information to give you quality care. Treatment includes coordinating care with other providers, consultations between providers, and referrals from one provider to another.

Payment

We may use and share your health information to bill and receive payment for your care. For example, we may send your insurance plan the dates of your sessions, the type of service, and a diagnosis code so the plan will pay for your counseling.

Health Care Operations

We may use and share your health information to run our practice and improve care. For example, we may review records to evaluate the quality of our services, or use information in the clinical supervision of counselors who are completing licensure requirements.

Appointment reminders and health-related services

We may use your information to remind you of appointments with your counselor and to tell you about treatment options or other health-related services we offer.

III. Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization

1. Psychotherapy notes

We keep "psychotherapy notes" as defined in 45 CFR § 164.501. Any use or disclosure of these notes requires your written authorization, unless the use or disclosure is:
  1. For use in treating you.
  2. For use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.
  3. For use in defending your counselor in legal proceedings you bring.
  4. For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate our compliance with HIPAA.
  5. Required by law, and limited to the requirements of that law.
  6. Required by law for certain health oversight activities related to the counselor who wrote the notes.
  7. Required by a coroner performing duties authorized by law.
  8. Needed to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.

2. Marketing

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

3. Sale of health information

We will not sell your health information.

4. All other uses

Uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

IV. Uses and Disclosures That Do Not Require Your Authorization

Subject to certain limits in the law, we may use and share your health information without your authorization:
  1. When required by state or federal law, limited to what that law requires.
  2. For public health activities, including reporting suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or dependent adult, or to prevent or reduce a serious threat to anyone's health or safety.
  3. For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
  4. For judicial and administrative proceedings, such as responding to a court or administrative order. We may also respond to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information. Our preference is to obtain your authorization first.
  5. For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes that occur on our premises.
  6. To coroners or medical examiners performing duties authorized by law.
  7. For research, when the research has been approved through a process that protects your privacy.
  8. For specialized government functions, such as military and veterans activities, national security, protective services for the President, and the safety of people in correctional institutions.
  9. For workers' compensation, as needed to comply with workers' compensation laws. Our preference is to obtain your authorization first.
Pennsylvania law gives mental health records additional protection. When state or federal law is more protective of your information than HIPAA, we follow the more protective law.

V. Uses and Disclosures You May Object To

We may share your health information with a family member, friend, or other person you tell us is involved in your care or in paying for your care, unless you object in whole or in part. In an emergency, we may share information if we believe it is in your best interest and ask for your agreement afterward.

VI. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information

  1. Request limits on uses and disclosures. You may ask us not to use or share certain information for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree, and we may say no if it would affect your care.
  2. Restrict information sent to your health plan when you pay in full. If you pay out of pocket in full for a service, you may ask us not to share information about that service with your health plan for payment or operations. We will agree unless a law requires us to share it.
  3. Choose how we contact you. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or work phone) or to send mail to a different address. We will agree to all reasonable requests.
  4. See and get copies of your records. Other than psychotherapy notes, you may get an electronic or paper copy of your record and other information we have about you. We will provide a copy, or a summary if you agree to one, within 30 days of your written request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
  5. Get a list of disclosures. You may ask for a list of times we shared your information for purposes other than treatment, payment, health care operations, or disclosures you authorized. We will respond within 60 days. The list covers the past six years unless you ask for a shorter period. The first list each year is free; we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additional requests within 12 months.
  6. Ask us to correct your records. If you believe information in your record is wrong or incomplete, you may ask us to correct or add to it. We may say no, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days.
  7. Get a copy of this notice. You may get a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
  8. Be notified of a breach. You have the right to be notified if a breach affects your unsecured health information.
  9. File a complaint. You may file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated (see below).

VII. Questions and Complaints

If you have questions about this notice or believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact our Privacy Officer:
Jason Batten, MS, MBA, LPC, Privacy Officer
Grace Christian Counseling
8700 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 3, Irwin, PA 15642
Phone: 724-863-7223
Email: careteam@gracechristiancounseling.com
You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by writing to 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.