Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: 4 October 2026

Our commitment

Grand Oaks Behavioral Health, LLC is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to follow the terms of the notice currently in effect. PHI is information that identifies you and relates to your past, present or future mental or physical health, the care you receive, or payment for that care.

Illinois protects mental health records more strictly than HIPAA

In addition to HIPAA, records of mental health and developmental disability services in Illinois are protected by the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (740 ILCS 110). In several situations that Act requires your written consent where HIPAA alone would permit a disclosure. Where the two differ, we follow the stricter rule.

How we may use and disclose your information without your authorization

Treatment

We may use your PHI to provide and coordinate your care, and disclose it to other providers involved in your treatment — for example, sharing relevant history with a psychiatrist managing your medication, or with your primary care physician. Because Illinois law treats mental health records more strictly than HIPAA, we obtain your written consent before disclosing your records to another provider, except where the law requires or permits disclosure without it — for example in an emergency, or where a court orders it.

Payment

We may use and disclose PHI to bill and obtain payment — verifying your benefits, submitting claims, and following up on unpaid claims. The minimum necessary information is disclosed for this purpose.

Health care operations

We may use PHI for activities necessary to run the practice: quality review, training and supervision of clinicians, licensing, and business management.

Other uses and disclosures permitted or required by law

• When required by law, including court orders and subpoenas that meet applicable requirements.
• To prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or that of another person.
• Abuse or neglect reporting, as required by Illinois law for children, older adults and other protected persons.
• Health oversight activities, such as audits and investigations by licensing or government agencies.
• Workers' compensation, to the extent required by law.
• Public health activities, where required.
• Business associates who perform services for us — such as billing, electronic records, scheduling, secure messaging and information technology support — and who are contractually bound by a business associate agreement to protect your information and to use it only for the service they provide to us.

Uses and disclosures that always require your written authorization

• Psychotherapy notes, except in the narrow circumstances the law permits.
• Marketing communications.
• Any sale of your protected health information.
• Most other uses not described in this notice.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we have already acted on it.

Your rights

• Access. You may inspect and obtain a copy of your records, with limited exceptions. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request. Where a copy is provided we may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for labour, supplies and postage, and we will tell you the amount before we proceed.
• Amendment. You may ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Accounting of disclosures. You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made.
• Restrictions. You may ask us to limit how we use or disclose your information. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree to withhold information from a health plan where you have paid in full out of pocket.
• Confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a particular way or at a particular address.
• Paper copy. You may request a paper copy of this notice at any time.
• Breach notification. You will be notified if a breach compromises the privacy or security of your information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact the Privacy Officer using the details below. Requests to access, amend or restrict your information, and requests for an accounting of disclosures, should be made in writing so that we have a record of what you asked for. We will help you put a request in writing if that is difficult for you.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may complain to us using the contact details below, or to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice

We may change this notice and make the new terms effective for all information we maintain. The current version is always posted on this page, with its effective date, and is available at either office.

Contact

the Privacy Officer, Grand Oaks Behavioral Health, LLC
Phone: (847) 549-1189
Fax: (847) 932-4066
Email: contactus@grandoaksbh.com

Northbrook Office: 604 Academy Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062
Libertyville Office: 1800 Hollister Drive, Suite 201, Libertyville, IL 60048

Please do not include clinical details in email. Email is not a secure channel; use the phone number above for anything confidential.