BHS Special Situations - Pittsfield, Great Barrington, Berkshires

End of Life: We may release PHI to a coroner or medical examiner for (1) identification purposes; (2) determining cause of death; or (3) for them to perform other duties authorized by law. We will also release PHI to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties. We may disclose such information in reasonable anticipation of death. PHI will be used and disclosed for organ, eye or tissue donation purposes. Your family may be contacted upon your death by an organization that handles organ procurement, as required by Massachusetts State Law.
Military, Veterans and National Security: When the appropriate conditions apply, we may use or disclose PHI of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel (1) for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military command authorities; (2) for the purposes of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of your eligibility for benefits; or (3) to foreign military authority if you are a member of that service. We may also disclose your PHI to authorized federal officials for conducting national security and intelligence activities, including for the provision of protective services to the President or others legally authorized.
Public Health Risks: We may disclose your PHI for public health activities and purposes to a public health authority that is permitted by law to collect or receive the information. These activities generally include the following:

to prevent or control disease, injury or disability (e.g., we participate in data submission to the National Cancer Data Base);
to report births and deaths;
to report child abuse or neglect;
to report reactions to medications or problems with products (e.g., we report all cases of product injury to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and/or Federal Drug Administration);
to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition;
to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

Inmates: If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary (1) for the institution to provide you with health care; (2) to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others; or (3) for the safety and security of the correctional institution.