NORTHERN ARMSTRONG EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, INC.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective Date: August 25, 2026

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

Northern Armstrong Emergency Medical Services, Inc. (“Northern Armstrong EMS,” “NAEMS,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your health information.

Federal and state laws require us to protect certain health information that identifies you, known as Protected Health Information (PHI). This Notice explains how we may use and disclose your PHI, your rights regarding your health information, and our responsibilities concerning that information.


YOUR RIGHTS

You have certain rights regarding your health information. This section explains those rights and how you may exercise them.

Get a Copy of Your Medical Record

You may request to inspect or obtain a paper or electronic copy of your medical record and other health information we maintain about you.

We will generally provide a copy or summary of your health information within the time required by law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee when permitted by law.

Certain information may not be available for inspection or copying as permitted by law.

Ask Us to Correct Your Medical Record

You may ask us to correct health information about you that you believe is incorrect or incomplete.

We may deny your request in certain circumstances. If we deny your request, we will provide an explanation in writing as required by law.

Request Confidential Communications

You may ask us to communicate with you about your health information in a particular way or at a particular location.

For example, you may ask us to contact you at a specific telephone number or send correspondence to a different mailing address.

We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Ask Us to Limit What We Use or Share

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations.

We are generally not required to agree to your request. If we agree to a restriction, we will comply with it except when disclosure is necessary to provide emergency treatment or when otherwise permitted or required by law.

If you pay for a health care service in full, out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or health care operations. We will comply with such a request unless disclosure is required by law.

Get a List of Certain Disclosures

You may request an accounting of disclosures, which is a list of certain times we disclosed your health information.

The accounting generally covers disclosures made during the six years before your request. Certain disclosures, including many disclosures for treatment, payment, and health care operations, are not required to be included.

We will provide one accounting during a 12-month period without charge. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for additional requests during the same 12-month period.

Get a Copy of This Notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.

Choose Someone to Act for You

If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or if someone is your legal guardian or otherwise legally authorized to act on your behalf, that person may exercise your rights and make choices regarding your health information.

We may verify that the person has appropriate authority before taking action.

File a Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Northern Armstrong EMS by contacting our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the end of this Notice.

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights Northern Armstrong EMS will not retaliate against you for filing a privacy complaint.

YOUR CHOICES

For certain health information, you may tell us your preferences regarding what we share.

Family Members, Friends, and Others Involved in Your Care

Unless you object, we may disclose relevant information about your condition, treatment, or location to a family member, close friend, caregiver, or other person involved in your care or payment for your care. If you are unable to tell us your preference, such as when you are unconscious or experiencing a medical emergency, we may disclose information when we believe doing so is in your best interest and is permitted by law.

Disaster Relief

We may disclose limited health information to organizations assisting with disaster-relief efforts when necessary to help notify family members or others responsible for your care about your condition or location.

Fundraising

If Northern Armstrong EMS conducts fundraising activities permitted under applicable law, we may contact you regarding those activities. You have the right to tell us not to contact you again for fundraising purposes.

Marketing and Sale of Information

We will obtain your written authorization before using or disclosing your health information for purposes that constitute marketing under HIPAA when authorization is required. Northern Armstrong EMS does not sell your protected health information.

HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

We may use or disclose your health information without your written authorization when permitted or required by law. Common examples include:

Treatment

We may use and disclose your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your medical treatment. Example: Our EMS personnel may provide information about your condition, medications, vital signs, treatment, or medical history to an emergency department, physician, nurse, paramedic, air-medical provider, another ambulance service, medical command physician, or other health care provider involved in your treatment. We may also receive information from other health care providers when necessary to provide or coordinate your care.

Payment

We may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services provided to you. Example: We may provide information about your ambulance transport, medical condition, treatment, insurance coverage, or medical necessity to Medicare, Medicaid, a private insurance company, another health plan, or a billing company acting on our behalf. This may include activities necessary to determine eligibility or coverage, obtain authorization, submit claims, respond to requests for documentation, appeal claim denials, and collect amounts owed for services.

Health Care Operations

We may use and disclose your health information for activities necessary to operate Northern Armstrong EMS and maintain the quality and safety of our services. Example: We may review patient care reports as part of quality assurance, clinical review, training, credentialing, compliance, auditing, billing review, complaint investigation, or performance-improvement activities. We may also use information to evaluate the performance of our personnel and improve the quality of emergency medical services we provide.

Business Associates

We may disclose health information to companies or individuals that perform services for Northern Armstrong EMS, known as business associates. Examples may include billing companies, attorneys, accountants, information technology providers, electronic patient-care-report vendors, collection agencies, consultants, and other contractors. When required by law, these organizations must appropriately safeguard your protected health information.

Emergency Medical Services and Other Health Care Providers

Because emergency medical care often requires coordination among multiple agencies and health care providers, we may disclose information necessary for your treatment to hospitals, physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, medical command facilities, ambulance services, air-medical services, emergency communications centers, and other providers involved in your care.

Required by Law

We may use or disclose your health information when federal, state, or local law requires us to do so.

Public Health and Safety

We may disclose your health information for certain public-health activities permitted or required by law, including: Reporting certain diseases or conditions; Reporting births or deaths when required; Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence when required or permitted by law; Preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability; Reporting certain adverse events or product-related concerns; and Preventing or reducing a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of you or another person.

Workers' Compensation

We may disclose health information as authorized by and necessary to comply with workers' compensation laws and similar programs.

Law Enforcement

We may disclose health information to law-enforcement officials when permitted or required by law, including in response to certain court orders, warrants, subpoenas, administrative requests, or other lawful processes. We may also disclose limited information in certain circumstances involving victims of crime, crimes occurring on our premises, or emergencies involving suspected criminal conduct, as permitted by law.

Health Oversight Activities

We may disclose your health information to health-oversight agencies for activities authorized by law, including audits, investigations, inspections, licensure activities, disciplinary proceedings, and other activities necessary for government oversight of the health care system.

Judicial and Administrative Proceedings

We may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order or, under certain circumstances, in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process.

Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Funeral Directors

We may disclose health information to coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors as necessary for them to perform duties authorized by law.

Organ and Tissue Donation

We may disclose health information to organizations involved in organ, eye, or tissue donation and transplantation when permitted by law.

Specialized Government Functions

We may disclose health information for certain specialized government functions, including military and veterans' activities, national security and intelligence activities, protective services, and correctional institution activities when permitted by law.

Research

We may use or disclose health information for research when the research has been approved through the process required by law or when another HIPAA exception applies.

SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER RECORDS

Certain records relating to substance use disorder treatment may receive additional protection under federal law, including 42 CFR Part 2. When these protections apply, Northern Armstrong EMS will use and disclose such information only as permitted by applicable law. Records subject to 42 CFR Part 2, or testimony describing the contents of such records, generally may not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against an individual unless specifically authorized by the individual or as otherwise permitted by law.

USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRING YOUR WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION

Uses and disclosures of your protected health information not described in this Notice will generally be made only with your written authorization.

Your authorization is generally required for:

If you provide written authorization, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time.  Revoking an authorization will not affect actions already taken in reliance upon the authorization before it was revoked.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Northern Armstrong EMS is required by law to:

We will not use or disclose your health information other than as described in this Notice unless you authorize us to do so in writing or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law. If you authorize us to use or disclose information, you may generally revoke that authorization at any time by notifying us in writing.

PENNSYLVANIA LAW

Northern Armstrong EMS will comply with applicable Pennsylvania laws governing the confidentiality of medical records and other health information. When Pennsylvania law provides greater privacy protection than federal law, we will comply with the more protective requirement when applicable. Certain types of information may receive additional protection under federal or Pennsylvania law.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

Northern Armstrong EMS reserves the right to change the terms of this Notice and our privacy practices. Changes may apply to health information we already maintain as well as information we receive or create in the future. If we make a material change to this Notice, the revised Notice will be made available upon request, at our facility, and on our website if applicable. The effective date of the current Notice will appear at the beginning of the document.


QUESTIONS, REQUESTS, OR COMPLAINTS

For questions about this Notice, requests involving your health information, or complaints regarding our privacy practices, contact:

Northern Armstrong Emergency Medical Services, Inc.
Privacy Officer: CDR. Jenna Kazousky
2030 State Route 268
East Brady, PA 16028

Telephone: 724-526-5227
Fax: 724-526-5910
Email: hipaa@northernarmstrongems.org

You may also submit a privacy complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. You will not be penalized or retaliated against for filing a complaint.