Confidentiality

The RCSWC is committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI). The contents of any patient medical records, created, received, or maintained by RCSWC, are to be used or disclosed in accordance with this Policy and consistent with State and Federal guidelines. Everyone working in the Student Wellness Center are required to follow our Confidentiality Statement Policy and State and Federal Guidelines.

Confidentiality is a professionally and legally complex issue, not subject to a thorough explanation in a few sentences. Information that a student shares with his/her services provider in the course of a meeting will be treated as confidential material. Treating information confidentially means not releasing it to anyone outside the agency without the student’s permission, including Rutgers University personnel.  Under certain, special circumstances, however, information may be released without the student’s permission. The main — although not the only — exceptions to confidentiality arise in situations involving:

• danger to self or others
  
• court orders or subpoena of records
• child abuse or neglect

Students are encouraged to discuss any concerns they have about confidentiality with their provider of services.