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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

IHS.gov Privacy Policy Statement

This Privacy Policy applies to all IHS webpages.

  • We do not collect personally identifiable information (PII) or personally identifiable health (PHI) information unless you choose to provide that information to us.
  • Any personal information you choose to provide is protected by security practices.
  • Non-personal information related to your visit to our website may be automatically collected and temporarily stored.
  • IHS does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about our visitors unless required for law enforcement or by Federal law.

Health Information Privacy
For more information on your health information privacy and security rights, or on the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, visit the HHS Office for Civil Rights Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  and IHS HIPAA Office.

Privacy Act Information
You may also want to read information about the Privacy Act at IHS. If you have privacy questions or issues, contact an IHS Privacy Official. Also see the Privacy Act of 1974 (Department of Justice).

Information Automatically Collected and Stored:

When you browse through our website, we gather and temporarily store technical information about your visit. This information does not identify who you are. The information we collect includes:

  • The name of the domain you use to access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are using an American Online account, or stanford.edu, if you are connecting from Stanford University's domain);
  • The date and time of your visit;
  • The pages you visited; and
  • The address of the website you came from when you came to visit.

We use this information to improve our website and provide a better user experience for our visitors. We use a tool, Google Analytics, to collect and summarize this information. This information is available only to web managers and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. It is retained only for as long as needed for proper analysis.

Cookies

Cookies from IHS web pages only collect information about your browser's visit to the site; they do not collect personal information about you. Personal information will never be collected from you without your permission and will be clearly identified on IHS.gov websites where that information is necessary.

There are two types of cookies, single session (temporary) and multi-session (persistent). Session cookies last only as long as your web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods.

We use session cookies for technical purposes such as to enable better navigation through our site. These cookies let our server know that you are continuing a visit to our site. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1-Single Session." The policy says, "This tier encompasses any use of single session web measurement and customization technologies."

We use multi-session cookies, or persistent cookies, to customize our website for frequent visitors and to test variations of website design and content. Multi-session cookies are cookies that are stored over more than a single session on your computer. Our multi-session cookies are set to expire two years after your last visit to our website. After two years, they are automatically deleted from your computer. IHS is unable to identify an individual by using such technologies.

You can take actions to block cookies by opting out Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov . Blocking session cookies from your computer will not affect your access to the content and tools on our website. Blocking multi-session or persistent cookies may affect the personalization of the information on those sites.

Visiting an Official IHS Page on Third-Party Websites

We maintain accounts on third-party websites, such as social media sites, as tools to better interact with the public. The security and privacy policies of third-party websites apply to your activity on those sites. Users of third-party websites often share information with the general public, user community, and/or the third-party operating the website. You should review the privacy policies of all websites before using them and ensure that you understand how your information may be used. You should also adjust privacy settings on your account on any third-party website to match your preferences.

IHS Accounts

Common third-party website privacy policies used by IHS include:

Information Collected and Used from Third-Party Websites

If you have an account with a third-party website, and choose to follow, like, friend, or comment on a third-party website managed by IHS, certain personal information associated with your account may be made available to us based on the privacy policies of the third-party website and your privacy settings within that website. We do not share personally identifiable information made available through these websites.

Personal Information Voluntarily Submitted to IHS

If you choose to provide IHS with personal information -- for example by completing a "Contact Us" form, leaving a comment, sending email, or completing a survey -- we may use that information to respond to your message and/or help us get you the information or services you requested. Submitting personal information (name, email address, etc.) is voluntary and is not required to access information on our website.

We retain the information only for as long as necessary to respond to your question or request. Information submitted electronically is maintained and destroyed as required by the Federal Records Act and records schedules of the National Archives and Records Administration. It may be subject to disclosure in certain cases (for example, if required by a Freedom of Information Act request, court order, or Congressional access request, or if authorized by a Privacy Act System of Records Notice). It is subject to the Privacy Act if maintained in a Privacy Act system.

Website Security

This site is maintained by the U.S. Government. It is protected by federal laws. You can be arrested and prosecuted for violating these laws.

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, we employ software programs to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. In the event of authorized law enforcement investigations, and pursuant to any required legal process, information from these sources may be used to help identify an individual.