Privacy Policy

The privacy of your health information is important to UChicago Student Wellness. This Notice provides you with information about the way we protect your privacy.

Different privacy practices apply to your information depending on whether you are a currently enrolled student or a non-student. This document applies to information we collect about students who are enrolled at the University of Chicago (the “University”) at the time the information is collected.  When you sign or acknowledge this Notice, you are confirming that you have read and understand the information related to UChicago Student Wellness’ notice of privacy practices applicable to students.

UChicago Student Wellness uses your health information only to provide you with medical care and counseling services, to support our own operations, and as otherwise permitted by applicable state and federal law. In some cases, UChicago Student Wellness may use de-identified information from your records for other purposes, consistent with applicable laws.

Except in limited circumstances, UChicago Student Wellness will not disclose your health information for purposes other than your treatment without your prior written consent. UChicago Student Wellness may disclose your health information without your prior written consent in the following circumstances: (a) disclosure to comply with a judicial order or lawful subpoena; (b) disclosure to a court in connection with a legal proceeding involving the University and you or your parents; (c) disclosure in connection with a health or safety emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health and safety of you or other persons; (d) disclosure to third parties that support UChicago Student Wellness’ operations, as permitted by state and federal law; or (d) disclosure as otherwise permitted under applicable state and federal laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). UChicago Student Wellness may also disclose de-identified information from your records for other purposes, consistent with applicable laws.

You may make a written request to see your records maintained by UChicago Student Wellness. We will provide you an opportunity to inspect and review your records and make copies of such records as required by applicable law. We may arrange for a healthcare provider to be with you when you review them in order to explain the records and/or answer your questions.

Laws that apply to your health information may include the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act and the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Act. In some cases, FERPA may apply to such information.

No. HIPAA does not apply to health information that UChicago Student Wellness maintains about students. If we refer you to a health care provider other than UChicago Student Wellness, including UCMC and its affiliated clinics, then the HIPAA regulations may apply to the records maintained by those entities.

FERPA may or may not apply to records about you maintained by UChicago Student Wellness. FERPA is a federal law that governs the use and disclosure of personally identifiable information from students’ “education records.” Under FERPA, records that are made or maintained by a health care professional at an educational agency or institution, used only for medical or psychological treatment, and available only to treatment providers are not “education records.” These records are called “treatment records” and are not covered by FERPA.

There are state laws that require additional privacy protections and disclosure restrictions for mental health and counseling records, including such records held by UChicago Student Wellness. UChicago Student Wellness complies with applicable state laws.

You may contact the Privacy Program directly at 773-834-9716 or hpo@bsd.uchicago.edu. For more information about how UChicago Student Wellness uses and discloses health information, please refer to UChicago Student Wellness’s Notice of Privacy Practices, which can be found at https://wellness.uchicago.edu/notices.

FERPA affords students the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Family Policy Compliance Office, United States Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202-5920.