Immunization Registry Notice
This notice describes the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) that the Santa Clara Valley Apple Wellness Centers use to track your historical immunization and tuberculosis (TB) tests as part of managing your health and to support public health activities. This notice describes the benefits of CAIR, the types of data exchanged, and your rights.
Immunizations prevent serious diseases and often require multiple doses at specific times. Tuberculosis (TB) screening tests help to determine if you may have TB infection and can be required for school or work. Trying to recall the immunizations you previously received can be difficult. The Santa Clara Valley Apple Wellness Centers participate in the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) to keep track of your immunizations and tuberculosis (TB) screening tests and share such immunizations and TB tests with CAIR to support public health activities.
What are the benefits of CAIR?
Having up-to-date information enables your providers to administer your needed immunizations on time and reach out to you when you’re due for a vaccine, maximizing your protection against certain diseases
Your immunizations and TB tests are centrally tracked in CAIR, minimizing the need to recall them yourself
Your providers can easily and securely access your immunization records and TB tests therefore eliminating the need to manually fax or mail them (which runs the risk of the records being misdirected)
Who has access to CAIR?
Healthcare providers for treatment purposes
Health plans to monitor the vaccination status of their member population, and to also facilitate claim reimbursement to healthcare providers
Public health agencies such as local health departments and the California Department of Public Health (located at 850 Marina Bay Pkwy, Bldg P Richmond, CA 94804) to monitor, prevent and control disease such as conducting public health surveillance
Schools, child care, and other agencies allowed under California law to access children’s immunizations and TB tests needed for child care or school enrollment
What information is shared with CAIR?
Identifying information such as name, date of birth, gender, address, phone number, and email address
Demographic information such as race, language, and ethnicity
Vaccine-related information such as the vaccine name, manufacturer, date administered, lot number, route, and dose (may include immunizations administered by non-Wellness Center providers documented in your medical record)
Information shared with CAIR is transmitted securely such as through a secure and automated connection between our electronic health record system and CAIR.
How does CAIR protect this information?
Information maintained in the registry is treated like other confidential medical information and misuse of the registry can be punished by applicable law. Under California law, only your healthcare provider’s office, health plan, or public health department may see your address and phone number. Health officials have access to the registry to protect public health.
Do privacy laws permit the sharing of this information with CAIR?
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices, healthcare providers are permitted to disclose protected health information to public health authorities authorized by law to collect such information for purposes of preventing or controlling disease and to conduct public health surveillance, public health investigations, and public health interventions. CAIR is authorized to collect and use this information under California law.
YOUR RIGHTS
Lock your records. You may request to “lock" your records including immunizations and TB tests in CAIR so that other organizations can’t see these records. You may email your request to lock your CAIR records to AC Wellness at staff@acwellness.com. Upon receiving your lock request, we will update your record in our systems and submit your request to CAIR. Alternatively, you may submit your request to CAIR directly by completing a Request to Lock My CAIR Record form at CAIRweb.org/cair-forms.
Stop immunization reminders. You may ask us to not send you immunization reminders. However, once we stop sending you such reminders, you could potentially miss an important immunization. Please contact staff@acwellness.com.
Access your records. You may ask us for a copy of your immunizations and TB test records. Please contact staff@acwellness.com.
Correct your records. You may ask us to correct any errors in your records. Please contact staff@acwellness.com.
If you have any questions, contact the Valley Green Apple Wellness Center at (408) 783-4000. If you wish to contact CAIR, contact the CAIR Help Desk at (800) 578-7889 or CAIRHelpDesk@cdph.ca.gov.
Updated 2/15/22