Update: Gov. Mike Dunleavy has asked for the Department of Law to conduct an investigation into how and what information has been shared by the State with the Municipality of Anchorage, and how it was used in a recent Anchorage program that had contracted employees calling Anchorage residents to inquire about their vaccine status.
Dunleavy was responding to word of a potential violation of law after a group of Alaskans were contacted by individuals working on behalf of the Municipality of Anchorage about COVID-19 vaccine information. The Municipality received the names and contact information of those individuals through an unauthorized action by staff at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Though a data sharing agreement with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services exists with Anchorage’s municipal Health Department, the unauthorized sharing of information did not occur through that channel.
The Governor also directed DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum to conduct an internal review of all the department’s data sharing agreements.
“Alaskans value their right to privacy, especially sensitive health information, and they have a right to know how that information may or may not be used,” said Governor Dunleavy. “While the data shared appears to be limited, I apologize to any Alaskan affected by this action. The department of law will investigate the facts of the event while health and social services will report back to me with new policies and procedures that will prevent this from happening again.
Original story: People in Anchorage say their privacy was violated when contractors from the Municipality of Anchorage called them to ask them if they’re ready to make an appointment for the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to one woman who spoke at the Anchorage Assembly this week, the call took her off guard. How did the Municipality know she had not been vaccinated? Who gave the Muni that information?
It turns out, lower-level personnel at the State of Alaska gave the Anchorage Health Department a data set.
A source in the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said there is a data-sharing agreement between the municipality and the state health department, but the information is general in nature. It is not medical information and it’s not likely a violation of federal health information privacy laws, known as HIPAA.
The goal of the Muni’s project was educate Alaskans on vaccine and answer their questions, the source said, and the focus was to be on vulnerable populations, 65 years and older, especially those who might have a hard time figuring out how to get a Covid vaccine.
“No personal information was asked. The focus was on asking if they had questions and if they wanted help scheduling an appointment,” the source said.
But the data set sent by the State to the Anchorage Health Department was then used by non-municipal contractors, and now the State is following up to make sure the data has been fully destroyed.
How does any telemarketer get your number? They use leads and the phone book for cold calls. It is not a controversy, and it is not a big deal. If you don’t want to talk to them, then hang up!
“The butler did it.”
Just think, these low level clerks will steadily climb the GS ladder, and become administration bozos.
This has Felix Stank all over it. And Dumbar stank.
With this being a state plagued by sexual assaults and stalking wouldn’t feel very comfortable there phone numbers can be seen by persons not meant to see their contact information. Alaska is a small community, there is always the risk so and so knows so and so who the woman or man doesnt want having their contact information.
With this being a state plagued by sexual assaults and stalking. A person with a court order against a perpetrator wouldnt feel very comfortable there phone numbers can be seen by persons not meant to see their contact information. Alaska is a small community, there is always the risk so and so knows so and so who the woman or man doesnt want having their contact information.
Cell phone numbers are different, they are not listed in a phone book, which telemarketers use. Also, this was a highly personal information, aka, knowing they had not yet been vaccinated. Otherwise, yeah, just hang up.
“The focus was on asking if they had questions and if they wanted help scheduling an appointment”
In other words, “let me convince you to be an experimental lab rat.” I had an urgent care doc do the same thing two days ago. Wouldn’t listen to my reasons for not getting it, just tried to pressure me into getting it using faulty arguments.
Big Brother is growing bigger everyday.
Just more lies to make you get the shot.
Because Anchorage can’t open up until 70% of Anchorage is vaccinated.
Just follow those other Sheep to the cliff’s edge.
What are your reasons? So a doctor with many years of medical education is using faulty arguments but a person with no medical education wants the doc to listen you your opinions. The latest conservative boogie man term is “experimental lab rat” Seen a lot of that term being used lately.
I am always amazed at that some folks carry a gun to buy a hamburger but are scared to get vaccinated.
My landline is unplugged most of the time to avoid scam calls and other unwanted intrusions. I’m evaluating the feasibility of getting rid of it altogether. Have a nice day.
No pressure, right? Why are “they” so anxious to get us vaccinated? Since when do we receive phone calls from NON-medical people inquiring into our health?
You know coercion to a medical procedure (that includes shots) is against the Nuremberg Code. A serious class action against the Muni needs to happen mostly on grounds of HIPAA. First fake mayors made up 70% and now this. I appreciate the Gov doing something….for once?
That data won’t be fully destroyed. It’s in a private contractor’s hands and whomever that contractor is, they make their money telemarketing and surreptitiously or otherwise that data will live.
As much as the State is supposedly in financial trouble they should at least sell these lists.
Harbor Guy, your lack luster appeal for getting the experimental m-RNA shot is tiresome. Perhaps you are unaware that part of being a macho man is the ability to think critically. Given the set of facts before us about the so called pandemic and the perhaps even worse untested injection , many of us have decided to “sit this one out”. Sorry Harbor Guy, but your appeal reminds me of a Bull Sea Lion roaring, lots of noise and little substance.
Why this unprecedented effort to subject an entire population to participate in clinical trials of an experimental vaccine that is not approved by the FDA & whose efficacy longevity is, so far as yet, undetermined? It is going to have the opposite effect & even the dumb folks will become wary of the vaccine.
Telemarketer especially those campaigning for political office other causes are a pain
How do they get your info if you have not subscribed
Land line Lol.
Personally, I see this as a Serious violation of privacy!
Serious enough that those that shared this information should be fired and banned from any form of government employment in the future.
Whether or not you’ve been vaccinated should appear Only in your personal medical records which only your physician(s) should have access to.
Voterrecords.com All of us and our voting info are on that site. I asked the Dept. of Elections about this twice and twice they claimed ignorance. Dept. of Elections ARE the swamp creatures and the true enemy.
The next time anybody-nonprofessional/medical person calls me about getting an vaccination, I have some simple words “Go jump into a lake”, the only people I have to answer to is my doctor, Not some municipality telemarketer/ nosy people. It’s none of their business.
“Lower level employees” don’t just broadly share information like this unless instructed to do so from the top of the organization. Sounds like someone didn’t think through the legal aspect of this before deciding to be “helpful.” Don’t hang it on the “lower level employee” find out who gave the direction to breach confidentiality.
Why would anyone want to be tested for Covid-19 or get the Vaccine (Which is not a Vaccine) for something that has a 99.98% survival rate? Lab Rat is Right! Just 329 Deaths of Alaskans are quoted on the State Covid Site. Let’s see……..675,000 residents of Alaska and only 329 have pass away in the last year. Really People?? Wake up and take your Freedom back from these Socialists!
“The Municipality received the names and contact information of those individuals through an unauthorized action by staff at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.”
This person should be fired and prosecuted.
Why is the health and human resource department also contacting people via cell phone numbers to conduct health surveys which ask questions like, “how many firearms are in your home?” There is more going on with the health department in this state than just violating HIPPA by knowing your vaccine status. I know several people who have received such phone calls from the Health department wanting to know how many guns a person has in their home. This is tyrannical and it’s happening right now in the state of Alaska!
There are hundreds of ways that HIPAA Rules can be violated, although the most common HIPAA violations that may be applicable to the parties involved:
Impermissible disclosures of protected health information (PHI)
Unauthorized accessing of PHI
Failure to conduct a risk analysis
Failure to manage risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI
Failure to implement safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI
Failure to maintain and monitor PHI access logs
Failure to enter into a HIPAA-compliant business associate agreement with vendors prior to giving access to PHI
Failure to implement access controls to limit who can view PHI
Failure to terminate access rights to PHI when no longer required
The disclosure more PHI than is necessary for a particular task to be performed
Unauthorized release of PHI to individuals not authorized to receive the information
Mishandling and mismailing PHI
Failure to notify an individual (or the Office for Civil Rights) of a security incident involving PHI within 60 days of the discovery of a breach
Failure to document compliance efforts
Anyone can file a complaint regarding HIPAA violations.
I got the call today
I don’t answer numbers I do not know
When I googled the number this article came up
It’s none of their business!
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