1. Introduction
Newaygo County Mental Health (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://www.newaygocmh.org/ (the “Website”).
By using our Website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this policy.
2. Important Notice Regarding Health Information
Our Website is not intended for the transmission of protected health information (PHI). Please do not submit sensitive medical, mental health, or treatment information through the contact form on this Website. If you need to share health-related information with us, please contact our office directly by phone or visit us in person.
Any information submitted through the Website contact form is not encrypted to the standard required for PHI transmission under HIPAA and should be limited to general inquiries only.
3. Information We Collect
3a. Information You Provide Directly
When you use our Website’s contact form, you may voluntarily provide us with personal information, including but not limited to:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- The content of your message or inquiry
We only collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us through the contact form. We do not require you to provide personal information to browse our Website.
3b. Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our Website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar tracking technologies. We use Google Analytics (GA4) to help us understand how visitors use our Website. Google Analytics may collect:
- IP address (anonymized where applicable)
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Referring website or source
- General geographic location (city/region level, not precise location)
This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies and is used in aggregate form to analyze Website traffic and improve user experience. For more information about how Google processes this data, please visit Google’s Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
3c. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our Website uses cookies, which are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Website to function properly.
- Analytics Cookies: Used by Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our Website. These cookies help us understand traffic patterns and improve the site.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Website. You may also opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
4. Third-Party Services
4a. Career/Employment Application Portal
Our Website may link to or embed a third-party platform for career and employment applications. When you access this portal, you will be interacting with a service that is not owned or operated by Newaygo County Mental Health. Any personal information you submit through the career application portal—including your name, contact information, employment history, and any other application materials—is collected and processed by that third-party provider in accordance with their own privacy policy.
We encourage you to review the privacy policy of the career application platform before submitting any personal information. [Insert name of third-party career platform and link to their privacy policy if available.]
4b. Other Third-Party Links
Our Website may contain links to other third-party websites, services, or resources that are not owned or controlled by us. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.
5. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to your inquiries and requests submitted through our contact form
- To operate, maintain, and improve our Website
- To analyze Website usage and trends through aggregated analytics data
- To ensure the security and functionality of our Website
- To comply with legal obligations
We do not use your personal information for marketing or promotional purposes unless you have explicitly opted in to receive such communications.
6. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:
- Service Providers: We may share information with trusted vendors and service providers who assist us in operating our Website, such as our website hosting provider and analytics provider (Google). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and may only use it for the purposes we specify.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
- Safety: We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Newaygo County Mental Health, our users, or the public.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal information collected through the contact form only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, respond to your inquiry, or as required by applicable law or regulation. Analytics data collected through Google Analytics is retained in accordance with Google’s data retention policies.
8. Data Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect the personal information we collect. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
9. Children’s Privacy
Our Website is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information through our Website, please contact us immediately using the information below. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information promptly.
10. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:
- Access: The right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction: The right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Deletion: The right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Opt-Out of Analytics: The right to opt out of Google Analytics tracking as described in Section 3c above.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 12 below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. For material changes, we will provide a prominent notice on our Website prior to the changes taking effect.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Newaygo County Mental Health
1049 Newell, PO Box 867
White Cloud MI 49349
(231) 689-7330