Pubdate: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN) Copyright: 2007 The Leader-Post Ltd. Contact: http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361 Author: Anne Kyle, The Leader-Post NEW LAW GIVES POLICE GREATER ACCESS TO HEALTH INFORMATION The provincial government has enacted amendments to the Health Information Protection Regulations to enable police officers to obtain health information critical to drug and criminal investigations. "We want to strike the correct balance between public safety and protecting privacy," said Justice Minister Frank Quennell. "We are putting in place regulations to clarify the legislative intent of the Health Information and Protection Act. This is to facilitate the work of the police, but it is also to clarify the responsibilities and the extent to which health workers can disclose information to the police. "The purpose of these amendments is to protect individuals' personal health information and, at the same time, ensure the safety of communities in our province." The regulations are something that the police community in Saskatchewan has been working towards, to establish some clarity around what information can and can't be shared, said Regina Police Service Insp. Rick Bourassa said. "It will be very helpful," he said, explaining that having a framework to work with will alleviate any concerns that individuals may have had about overstepping the privacy legislation. "These regulations will allow us as police officers to receive information on sort of the general condition of somebody when we are conducting a criminal investigation and it will also allow us to get information on pieces of potential evidence that may be at certain scenes that health people have been involved with." The amendments will improve communications between the health sector and police agencies in Saskatchewan and bring the province's regulations in line with similar rules in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, Quennell said. However, he said Saskatchewan's proposed regulations are much narrower in respect to the circumstances and the information that can be provided than in a number of provinces. "Manitoba, Ontario and B.C. all have much broader language that applies to all provincial offences and other police investigations. We are limiting the ability of the police to ask for information in those cases where there are indictable offences or lawful investigations under the Criminal Code or Controlled Drugs and Substances Act," Quennell said. Police may request personal health information from health authorities only when they conduct Criminal Code or Controlled Drugs and Substances Act enforcement or investigations, execute arrest warrants, serve a subpoena or are trying to locate a missing person who may have recently sought care at a health care facility. The information that can be released by hospital and emergency services personnel is limited to the health facility where the individual received health services and or the nature and severity of an injury suffered by the individual. The regulations also enable health authorities to disclose the personal health information of a deceased person to a coroner. Each request for information will be assessed to determine what information is needed and why it is needed. Health care providers and police officers will receive training about their responsibilities under these amendments. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek