Privacy
Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly: When you contact us, complete an intake form, register for a program, submit a volunteer application, or make a donation, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and the content of your communications. For program participants, we may also collect caregiving-related information including your relationship to the care recipient, the nature of the care recipient's condition, your caregiving schedule, and your self-reported health and wellness data.

Information collected automatically: When you visit our website, our web server may automatically record standard technical information including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and time spent on each page. This information is collected through standard server logs and is used solely for website performance monitoring and security. We do not use this information to identify individual visitors.

Online assessment data: Our Caregiver Wellness Self-Assessment tool processes all responses entirely within your web browser using client-side JavaScript. No assessment data is transmitted to our servers, stored in any database, or shared with any third party. Your assessment results exist only in your browser session and are deleted when you close the page.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes: to provide and improve our caregiver support programs and services; to respond to your inquiries and communicate with you about programs, events, and resources; to process donations and provide tax receipts; to coordinate respite care services and benefits navigation on your behalf (with your explicit consent); to evaluate and improve our program effectiveness through aggregate, de-identified outcome data; to comply with legal obligations including mandatory reporting requirements; and to protect the safety and rights of our clients, staff, volunteers, and the public.

We will never use your personal information for commercial marketing purposes, sell it to third-party advertisers, or share it with data brokers. We do not engage in behavioral tracking, retargeting, or profiling of our website visitors.

3. Health Information & HIPAA Standards

While CHWA is not a HIPAA-covered entity under the strict regulatory definition, we voluntarily adhere to the privacy and security standards established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule (45 CFR Part 164) for all health-related information shared by our clients. This includes information about your physical and emotional health, your care recipient's medical conditions, and any clinical assessment data collected during intake or program participation.

Health-related information is stored in encrypted electronic records with role-based access controls limited to staff members who have a legitimate need to access the information for service delivery purposes. Paper records are stored in locked filing cabinets within our secured office. All staff and volunteers with access to client information complete annual HIPAA-standards training and sign binding confidentiality agreements. We do not disclose health-related information to any third party without your explicit written authorization, except where required by Oregon mandatory reporting laws.

4. Your Rights Under GDPR & CCPA

Regardless of your location, CHWA extends the following data rights to all individuals consistent with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Access: You may request a copy of all personal information we hold about you at any time.
• Right to Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements (e.g., donation records required by IRS regulations).
• Right to Portability: You may request your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: You may object to specific uses of your personal information, including any future communications from our organization.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: Exercising any of these rights will never affect the quality or availability of services you receive from CHWA.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected] or (503) 555-0147. We will respond to all requests within 30 calendar days.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses only essential, first-party cookies required for basic site functionality (e.g., maintaining your session when completing multi-step forms). We do not use third-party advertising cookies, tracking pixels, social media widgets that transmit data to external platforms, or any form of cross-site behavioral tracking technology.

We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party analytics platform that transfers visitor data to external companies. Website usage statistics are derived from anonymized server logs processed internally. You may disable cookies in your browser settings without any impact on your ability to use our website.

6. Third-Party Sharing & Zero Data-Selling Guarantee

We do not sell, rent, lease, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to any third party for any purpose. This is an unconditional guarantee with no exceptions, carve-outs, or future-effective loopholes. We have never sold personal data in our organizational history and have a board-adopted policy permanently prohibiting the practice.

We may share limited information with the following categories of parties only with your explicit consent or as legally required: respite care providers (care recipient's name, condition, and care needs — only with your signed authorization for the purpose of service delivery); government agencies (mandated reports of suspected elder or child abuse per Oregon law); and legal authorities (in response to a valid court order, subpoena, or law enforcement request). In all cases, we disclose only the minimum information necessary and notify you of the disclosure whenever legally permitted.

7. Data Retention & Deletion

Active client records are maintained for the duration of your engagement with our programs plus three years following your last date of service. Donation records are retained for seven years as required by IRS regulations for 501(c)(3) organizations. Volunteer records are retained for three years following the end of volunteer service. Website server logs are retained for 90 days and then permanently deleted.

Upon the expiration of the applicable retention period, or upon your valid deletion request, records are permanently destroyed: electronic records are cryptographically erased, and paper records are cross-cut shredded by a bonded document destruction service. You may request early deletion of your records at any time, subject to legal retention obligations.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website and online tools are not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through our website. Our Youth Caregiver Initiative serves individuals aged 8 and older; parental or guardian consent is obtained before collecting any personal information from participants under 18, and such information is subject to enhanced protections including restricted staff access and parental review rights consistent with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

9. Contact for Privacy Concerns

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have a concern about how your information has been handled, please contact:

We will acknowledge all privacy-related inquiries within five business days and provide a substantive response within 30 calendar days. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may also file a complaint with the Oregon Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Division, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or organizational structure. Material changes will be communicated through a prominent notice on our website and, for active program participants, via direct email notification. The effective date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last updated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.