HIPAA WEBSITE SUBSTITUTE NOTICE
NOTICE OF PRIVACY BREACH
This notice is about a privacy incident. Healthcare In Action (HIA) utilizes mobile clinics staffed by healthcare professionals to travel directly to unhoused individuals living in communities across California, providing services where they reside – including tents, cars, shelters, and temporary housing.
HIA is posting this Substitute Notice to provide individuals with information about a privacy incident that took place on January 30, 2025, and to share resources available to people who believe their personal data may have been involved.
Although less than sixteen (15) individuals were impacted by this event, due to the nature of the population HIA serves, we may not have sufficient addresses for all potentially impacted individuals. HIA has made attempts to contact those impacted individuals via email and phone number, if available, to help individuals understand what happened and give them information on steps they can take to protect their privacy, including enrolling in two (2) years of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.
What happened?
On January 30, 2025, while an HIA workforce member was providing mobile services, the workforce member’s car was broken into, and items were taken that included patient information. The incident was quickly discovered and HIA contacted law enforcement. HIA also immediately launched a thorough internal investigation.
What information may have been involved?
The information that may have been involved may not be the same for every potentially impacted individual. The information involved for individuals may have included the following:
- Demographic information: First name, last name, date of birth, applicant housing client ID, applicant housing application case number, client index number (CIN), referring agency contact information, race, ethnicity, marital status, housing status, disability verification information, Social Security Number (SSN), and driver’s license ID number.
- Clinical information: medical record number (MRN), diagnosis/condition, medications, other treatment information.
- Other information: Housing information, housing leads, housing assessments, and housing support plan information.
What we are doing.
Privacy and security are our priorities. As soon as HIA discovered the incident, we contacted law enforcement and immediately took steps to attempt to secure the affected items. Additionally, we initiated an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. As a result of this incident, we have reinforced relevant policies and provided targeted training to workforce members to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
As mentioned above, we have tried to notify all potentially affected individuals. We are also posting this Substitute Notice on our website as permitted by HIPAA. This Notice and the toll-free number below will remain active for at least 90 days.
What you can do.
HIA has arranged through Experian to provide complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection for a period of two (2) years to all impacted individuals. If you believe your information was involved in the incident and have not received notification, please call the following HIA toll-free phone number (833) 621-7222 and we will be able to validate whether your information is impacted. The HIA phone line is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am PST to 5:00 pm PST.
If you call after hours or on the weekend, you may leave a message and you will receive a return call within 24-hours or the next business day, respectively. If you are one of the few individuals impacted by this incident, you will receive a unique activation code that you can use to enroll online or via phone for the complimentary credit monitoring services. You will also be provided a deadline to activate these free-of-charge services.
For more information.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please refer to the STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION below or call the HIA toll-free phone number listed above.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
Review Your Account Statements
Carefully review communications and statements sent to you from HIA, your insurance provider, and your financial institution. Report any questionable information or charges promptly.
Provide Any Updated Personal Information
HIA may ask to see a photo ID to verify your identity. Please have a photo ID available at every appointment, if possible. HIA may also ask you to confirm your date of birth, address, telephone number and other pertinent information so that we can ensure all your information is current. Please be sure and tell HIA when there are any changes to your contact information. Carefully reviewing this information with your provider at each visit can help to avoid problems and to address them quickly should there be any discrepancies.
Order Your Free Credit Report
To order your free annual credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call toll-free at (877) 322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) website at www.ftc.gov and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. The three credit bureaus provide free annual credit reports only through the website, toll free number or request form.
Upon receiving your credit report, review it carefully. Look for accounts you did not open. Look in the “inquiries” section for names of creditors from whom you have not requested credit. Some companies bill under names other than their store or commercial names; the credit bureau will be able to tell if this is the case. Look in the “personal information” section for any inaccuracies in information (such as home address and Social Security Number).
If you see anything you do not understand, call the credit bureau at the telephone number on the report. Errors may be a warning sign of possible identity theft. You should notify the credit bureaus of any inaccuracies in your report, whether due to error or fraud, as soon as possible so the information can be investigated and, if found to be in error, corrected. If there are accounts or charges you did not authorize, immediately notify the appropriate credit bureau by telephone and in writing. Information that cannot be explained should also be reported to your local police or sheriff’s office because it may signal criminal activity.
Contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
If you detect any unauthorized transactions in any of your financial accounts, promptly notify the appropriate payment card company or financial institution. If you detect any incidents of identity theft or fraud, promptly report the matter to your local law enforcement authorities, state Attorney General and the FTC.
You can contact the FTC to learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft by using the contact information below:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
www.ftc.gov/idtheft
Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit File
To protect yourself from possible identity theft, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file. A fraud alert helps protect against the possibility of an identity thief opening new credit accounts in your name. When a credit grantor checks the credit history of someone applying for credit, the credit grantor gets a notice that the applicant may be the victim of identity theft. The alert notifies the credit grantor to take steps to verify the identity of the applicant. You can place a fraud alert on your credit report by calling any one of the toll-free fraud numbers provided below. You will reach an automated telephone system that allows flagging of your file with a fraud alert at all three credit bureaus.
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Equifax |
P.O. Box 105069 |
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Experian |
P.O. Box 2002 |
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TransUnion |
P.O. Box 2000 |
Security Freezes
You have the right to request a credit freeze from a consumer reporting agency, free of charge, so that no new credit can be opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate a freeze. A security freeze is designed to prevent potential credit grantors from accessing your credit report without your consent. If you place a security freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to get access to your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze. Therefore, using a security freeze may delay your ability to obtain credit.
Unlike a fraud alert, you must separately place a security freeze on your credit file at each credit bureau. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you must contact the credit reporting agency by phone, mail, or secure electronic means and provide proper identification of your identity. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security Number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue.
Below, please find relevant contact information for the 3 consumer reporting agencies:
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Equifax |
P.O. Box 105069 |
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Experian |
P.O. Box 2002 |
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TransUnion |
P.O. Box 2000 |
Once you have submitted your request, the credit reporting agency must place the security freeze no later than 1 business day after receiving a request by phone or secure electronic means, and no later than 3 business days after receiving a request by mail. No later than 5 business days after placing the security freeze, the credit reporting agency will send you confirmation and information on how you can remove the freeze in the future.