Privacy Policy

1. About this policy

Peer Professionals of California ("PPOFCA," "we," "our," or "us") respects the privacy of everyone who visits our website or uses our services. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

This policy covers our website at ppofca.org (the "Site"). It does not cover the practices of organizations we link to or refer you to. Please review their policies separately.

2. Who we are

Peer Professionals of California is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit community-based organization (EIN 92-3438907) located at 5011 Holly Drive, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92113. We provide peer support, reentry navigation, and community health worker services.

We are not a government agency. We are not a Medi-Cal managed care plan, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or any county behavioral health department, except where a specific contractual relationship is separately disclosed.

We will never ask you for payment, your Social Security number, or your bank account information in order to receive our services.

3. Information we collect

Information you give us directly

Contact and inquiry forms. When you contact us through the Site, we collect your name, email address, and whatever you choose to include in your message.

Newsletter signup. If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address.

Job applications. If you apply for a position, we collect the information in your application, which may include your name, contact information, work history, and any materials you submit.

Donations. If you donate, our payment processor collects your name, contact information, and payment details. We receive your name, contact information, and the amount and date of your gift. We do not receive or store your full payment card number or bank account details.

Service referrals and releases of information. Our Provider Referral Portal, SUD Release of Information Portal, and Medical Release of Information forms are hosted on JotForm's HIPAA-compliant platform, not on this website. Information submitted through those forms may include health information, treatment history, and other sensitive details. See Section 5 below.

Information collected automatically

Our website is hosted on Wix. Like most websites, it automatically collects basic technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, time of visit, and the site that referred you. This is used for security and to understand general usage patterns.

Cookies

The Site uses cookies that are necessary for it to function, and may use analytics cookies to help us understand how visitors use the Site. You can disable or delete cookies through your browser settings, though some features may not work properly if you do.

We do not use cookies for advertising, and we do not permit third-party advertising networks to track you on our Site.

4. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your inquiry, referral, or application

• Provide peer support, reentry navigation, and community health worker services

• Connect you with partner organizations and community resources at your request

• Process and acknowledge donations

• Send you communications you have asked to receive

• Evaluate and improve our programs

• Meet reporting obligations to funders, health plans, and government agencies, in aggregate or de-identified form wherever possible

• Maintain the security and proper functioning of the Site

• Comply with applicable law

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent, trade, or otherwise disclose it to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Health information

Some of our services involve health information, including information about behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment.

Health information you submit through our referral and release-of-information portals is collected on JotForm's HIPAA-compliant platform under a business associate agreement. That information is handled separately from ordinary website inquiries and is subject to additional legal protections.

Where those protections apply, they may include:

• HIPAA (45 CFR Parts 160 and 164), which governs protected health information

• 42 CFR Part 2, which provides heightened confidentiality protections for substance use disorder treatment records and generally requires your specific written consent before those records are disclosed

• California law, including the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act

If you are a client receiving services from us, our Notice of Privacy Practices — not this website policy — governs how we handle your health information. Ask us for a copy at any time.

6. When we share information

We share personal information only in these circumstances:

With your consent. Including when you ask us to refer you to a partner organization or service provider. For substance use disorder records, we obtain specific written consent as required by law.

With service providers. Organizations that help us operate — our website host (Wix), form platform (JotForm), email provider, and payment processor. They may use the information only to provide those services to us and are bound by contract to protect it.

With funders, health plans, and government agencies. Where required by a grant or contract, in aggregate or de-identified form whenever possible. Where individual-level reporting is required, we tell you at the point of collection.

When required by law. In response to a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or where disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm to you or someone else. Substance use disorder records receive additional protection and are not disclosed in response to a subpoena alone.

In connection with an organizational change. If PPOFCA merges with or transfers its programs to another organization, information may transfer as part of that change, subject to this policy.

7. How we protect your information

We limit access to personal information to staff and volunteers who need it to do their work. Our website uses HTTPS encryption. Health information is collected through a platform designed for HIPAA compliance. We review our practices periodically and update them as our programs change.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and we do not claim to.

Please do not send sensitive information by email. Email is not a secure channel. If you need to share something sensitive, call us at 619-730-0191 or use the appropriate secure portal.

8. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected, plus any period required by our funders, contracts, or applicable law. Health and treatment records are retained for the period required by state and federal law. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or de-identify it.

Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Job applications are kept for the period required by employment recordkeeping rules.

9. Your choices and rights

You may:

• Ask what information we hold about you

• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete

• Ask us to delete your information, subject to our legal, contractual, and recordkeeping obligations

• Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in any email

• Withdraw consent to a release of information, going forward, at any time

To make a request, contact us at office@ppofca.org or 619-730-0191. We may need to verify your identity before we respond. We will respond within a reasonable time and will tell you if we cannot fulfill a request and why.

California nonprofits are generally not subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act, but we honor these requests as a matter of policy. If you are a client, additional rights under HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 may apply — see our Notice of Privacy Practices.

10. Children's privacy

The Site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Site. If you believe a child has provided us information through the Site, contact us and we will delete it.

Where our programs serve minors, information is collected directly through our program intake process with appropriate parental or guardian consent, not through this website.

11. Links to other websites

The Site links to third-party organizations, resources, and platforms, including JotForm for our secure forms. We do not control these sites and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. A link is not an endorsement. Review their policies before providing information.

12. Do Not Track

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal. There is currently no industry standard for how to respond to these signals, and we do not respond to them. We do not track you across other websites regardless.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our programs and legal obligations change. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and post the new version here. Material changes will be noted on this page. Please review it periodically.

14. Contact us

Questions, concerns, or requests about this policy or your information:

Peer Professionals of California 5011 Holly Drive, Suite B San Diego, CA 92113

office@ppofca.org · 619-730-0191

If you have a concern about how we handled your health information, you may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.