Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
This Disclaimer and Privacy Policy applies to our website located at www.theottawahospital.ca (the “The Ottawa Hospital Website”) and governs data collection, usage and services provided by third parties. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, protect, use and share information gathered through The Ottawa Hospital.
Personal Information means any information that can be used to identify a specific person and may include, without limitation, name, email address, postal or physical address, title and other personally identifiable information.
Disclaimer
This is a Canadian Website. Its content is intended for Canadian residents only.
Residents of the European Union (“EU”), as well as other countries in Europe, may have additional rights with respect to individual personal information as provided under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).
This Web site does not provide medical advice.
Information published on The Ottawa Hospital Web site is provided for information and educational purposes only.
Information provided on this site is not designed or intended to constitute medical advice or to be used for diagnosis. Due to unique individual needs and medical history, please consult your own personal physician who will be able to determine the appropriateness of the information for your specific situation and will assist you in making any decisions regarding treatment and/or medication.
The Ottawa Hospital and/or its physicians shall not be liable for any damages, claims, liabilities, costs or obligations arising from the use or misuse of the material contained in this web site, whether such obligations arise in contract, negligence, equity or statute law. We do not guarantee or warrant the quality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, appropriateness or suitability of the information provided.
No recommendations or endorsements
Reference to or mention of specific products, processes or services do not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement by The Ottawa Hospital.
External Links
Links to other sites are provided as a reference to assist you in identifying and locating other Internet resources that may be of interest. Please remember that Internet resources are no substitute for the advice of a qualified health-care practitioner. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy or appropriateness of the information contained in other sites, nor do we endorse the viewpoints expressed in other sites.
This site contains links to external or third-party Web sites. The Ottawa Hospital is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of any third-party Web site. We encourage you to review the privacy policies posted on such sites, as well as any site you visit.
Why did you receive an email from us?
If you received an email from us, (a) your email address is either listed with us as someone who has expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information in the future (“opt-in”) or (b) you have registered or donated or otherwise have an existing relationship with us. We respect your time and attention by controlling the frequency of our mailings.
How can you stop receiving email from us?
If you have received unwanted, unsolicited email from The Ottawa Hospital or that appears to be from The Ottawa Hospital, please forward a copy of that email with your comments to feedback@toh.ca for review. If you wish to be removed from any of our contact lists, please contact our Patient Relations department at 613-798-5555 extension 13377.
Privacy
The Ottawa Hospital is committed to ensuring that the personal health information of our patients and the personal information of our users are treated with respect and safeguarded to ensure privacy.
Personal information sent via email
Should you choose to provide personal information through email or other means, the information will only be used for the specific purposes for which it has been provided (e.g. to respond to a specific request, application for employment, etc.).
Server Logs
We strive to improve the access, design and functionality of our Web site so that you can find the information you are seeking easily and quickly. To do this, we need to determine what information visitors access most frequently, and we may do this by tracking statistics such as IP address, browser type, domain name, access times and referring Web site addresses. These statistics are used to improve our Web site and ensure that it provides an optimal Web experience for visitors.
When you come onto our site, the site will check to determine which browser you are using (i.e. Internet Explorer, Netscape) so that you are provided with the proper style sheet for that browser so that you may best view our site. We do not link server log information to any other data in a way that would enable us to identify individual visitors.
Cookies and Passive Collection (Tracking Technologies)
The Ottawa Hospital website uses “cookies” to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed in your web browser’s memory by a web server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or to deliver malicious software to your computer.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if now or in the future, you personalize pages on the Ottawa Hospital website, or register for Ottawa Hospital website services, a cookie helps the site recall your specific information on subsequent visits.
This simplifies the process of recording your personal information, such as billing addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. When you return to the website on another occasion, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the features that you customized.
The Ottawa Hospital may also occasionally utilize cookies to facilitate the hospital’s patient care, research or other charitable initiatives, but accepting or declining cookies is up to you. Most web browsers (including Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, Safari and Opera) are usually set to accept cookies by default, but you can easily modify your settings to decline them if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of this website or other sites you may visit.
You can limit the collection of your information by disabling cookies on your browser. You may also be able to modify your browser settings to require your permission each time a website attempts to set a cookie. However, our websites (and many other websites) rely on cookies to enable certain functionality. If you choose to disable cookies, some of the services available on our websites may not work properly.
Copyright and Use of Content
All information on The Ottawa Hospital Web site is copyrighted by The Ottawa Hospital or by other contributors. As a visitor to this site, you are granted a limited license to display or print the information provided for personal, non-commercial use only, provided the information is not modified and all copyright and other proprietary notices are retained. None of the information may be otherwise reproduced, republished or re-disseminated in any manner or form without the prior written permission of an authorized representative of The Ottawa Hospital.
By using our website, you agree to the policies and terms outlined in this Statement, and you consent to our use of cookies as outlined in this Statement.
Accessibility
We are happy to support the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005). If you require information in a different format, please send your request to accessibility@toh.ca or call 613-737-8899 extension 75535 or 75303. We will work with you to create the format that’s best for you.
For more information, see The Ottawa Hospital’s, Accessibility Page.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
We may, at our sole discretion, occasionally amend this Privacy Policy. The effective date of the most recent Privacy Policy is noted at the bottom of this document. We encourage you to periodically review this policy when returning to our website to be informed of how we are committed to protecting your information. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use, and/or share the personal information that you have voluntarily provided, we will notify you by posting notice of the changes on this webpage. By using The Ottawa Hospital website, you signify your agreement with the terms of this Privacy Policy and your continued use will constitute your acceptance of any changes.
Contact Us
If you have a question or concern regarding your privacy, please contact our Privacy Office at infoprivacyoffice@toh.ca.
If you wish to make a complaint about The Ottawa Hospital privacy practices, please contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario at 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1A8, or call 1-800-387-0073.
Updates
We will revise this statement as needed. It is your responsibility, as a user of this website, to check this Disclaimer & Privacy Statement regularly for changes.