MENTALLY STRONG

3720 Sinton Rd Suite #104, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Phone: 719-493-9555  |  Fax: 719-284-4627  |  Questions@MentallySTRONG.com

Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective: January 1, 2026

This Notice of Privacy Practices applies to psychiatric and medical services provided by Mentally STRONG, including psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and related medically supervised treatments such as Spravato® (esketamine) and IM ketamine therapy, as well as psychoeducation provided as part of treatment.

Your Rights

Get a copy of your medical record

You may request a paper or electronic copy of your medical record. We will usually provide it within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as permitted by law.

Ask us to correct your medical record

You may request corrections to health information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We may deny your request, but we will provide a written explanation within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

You may request how or where we contact you (for example, only by mail, or only at certain phone numbers).

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You may request limits on certain uses or disclosures. We must agree if you pay out-of-pocket in full for a service and request that we not disclose information to your health insurer, unless required by law.

Get a list of disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your protected health information (PHI) made in the past six years. This list will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, health care operations, or those you authorized. One request per year is free; additional requests may involve a reasonable fee.

Choose someone to act for you

If you have a medical power of attorney, legal guardian, or other authorized personal representative, they may exercise your rights on your behalf. We will verify their authority before acting.

Get a copy of this notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.

File a complaint

You may file a complaint if you believe your privacy rights were violated. You may submit a complaint to Mentally STRONG using the contact information below, or to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

You can tell us how we share information when it involves family, friends, or others involved in your care, as well as in emergency or disaster relief situations. Where you are present and able to tell us your preference, we will follow it.

How We Use and Share Your Information

Treatment

We may use and share your health information to provide, coordinate, or manage your mental health and medical care.

Payment

We may use and share your information to bill for services and obtain payment from health plans or other payers.

Health care operations

We may use and share your information to operate our practice, improve services, conduct quality assessment, contact you when necessary, and comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

Business associates (vendors and service providers)

We may share your protected health information with third-party service providers (“business associates”) that perform services for us, such as electronic health record services, billing and claims processing, appointment reminders, telehealth technology, secure communications platforms, and documentation support tools. These business associates are required by law and by contract to safeguard your information and may only use or disclose it as permitted to perform services for our practice.

Psychotherapy Notes

Some mental health providers keep psychotherapy notes, which are kept separate from the rest of your medical record. Most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes require your written authorization, including any disclosure to your health plan. You do not have a right to obtain a copy of psychotherapy notes, although you may request the rest of your record as described above.

Electronic Communication and Telehealth

Electronic communications (text, email, patient portal, telehealth)

We may communicate with you about appointments, care coordination, treatment information, or billing using phone calls, voicemail, text messages, email, patient portal messaging, and telehealth platforms. These communications may include protected health information. While we take reasonable steps to protect your privacy, electronic communications may involve security risks. You may request that we contact you in a specific way or at a specific location, and we will accommodate reasonable requests.

Telehealth services

If you receive services through telehealth, we may use and disclose your information as needed to provide care, coordinate services, document treatment, and comply with legal requirements.

Minors and Personal Representatives

In general, a parent, legal guardian, or other authorized personal representative may exercise privacy rights and access records on behalf of a minor patient. However, in certain situations, minors may have the right to consent to care and to control access to their information under applicable state and federal law. We follow Colorado and federal law when determining whether a parent or guardian may access a minor’s information.

Other Permitted or Required Disclosures

In addition to HIPAA, Colorado law allows or requires certain disclosures. We may share information to:

• Report suspected child abuse or neglect, or abuse, neglect, or exploitation of at-risk adults;
• Prevent or reduce a serious and imminent threat to health or safety (duty to warn or protect);
• Comply with emergency mental health evaluations or involuntary holds, including M-1 holds;
• Respond to court orders, subpoenas, or other lawful processes as required or permitted by law;
• Comply with workers’ compensation, public health, medical examiner, or coroner requirements.

Coordination of medically supervised treatments

For services such as Spravato® (esketamine) or IM ketamine therapy, we may share limited information with other health care providers, pharmacies, laboratories, and facilities involved in your care, including information needed for prescribing, monitoring, safety planning, and follow-up.

Marketing and Sale of Information

We do not use or disclose your protected health information for marketing without your written authorization, except as permitted by law. We do not sell your protected health information, and we will not do so without your written authorization.

Our Responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will notify you without unreasonable delay, and within the timeframes required by law, if a breach occurs that compromises the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the privacy practices described in this Notice and provide you with a copy.
• We will not use or disclose your information in ways not described here unless you authorize us in writing. You may revoke that authorization at any time in writing.

Changes to This Notice

We may change the terms of this Notice at any time. Changes will apply to all information we maintain about you. The updated Notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.