PLEASE READ OUR EMAIL, TEXTING AND VOICE MESSAGE CONSENT ON THIS PAGE.

To ensure we are able to provide you with the care you need, occasionally we will need to communicate with you and contact you by email, text or leave a voice message. If you would like to receive our emails, text or voice messages. Please make sure your information is up to date. Please make sure to put info@breathemidwives.ca on your safe list and don’t forget to check your junk/spam folder.

WE MAY NEED TO CONTACT YOU FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

• Appointment reminders
• To let you know your status in the walk-in clinic
• To let you know about wait times to be seen
• Sharing routine test results with you
• Sending you forms for tests (labs, ultrasound, etc.)
• Giving you educational and health promotion resources
• Verifying your contact and health information
• Sending you our policies
• Client satisfaction surveys
• Information about upcoming events and workshops
• Sharing your information with other midwives, staff, or organizations for the purpose of providing care or making referrals

THERE ARE SOME LIMITS ON WHAT AND WHEN WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOU BY EMAIL, TEXT, VOICE MESSAGE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT:

• Email communication or a voice message is not a substitute for meeting with a health care provider. Although technology is changing, the best way to share information .
• Even if you are seen virtually by a health care provider, you still may need to be seen in person by someone.
• Please keep your email  and phone number up-to-date and tell us of any changes.
• Email or voice message should never be used in an emergency. If you have a health emergency, contact your primary health care provider, go to the walk-in clinic if you don’t have a designated care provider, or call 9-1-1/go to the nearest hospital.
• Email should never be used for urgent problems (where you need a response from us by a certain time). If you have an urgent issue, you should contact your designated care provider or visit a walk-in clinic.
• We do not read our email messages or return phone messages 24 hours per day 7 days per week. We cannot guarantee any particular response time for an email or phone.
• Emails and phone messages should be short. If you have a problem that is complex – please contact your health care provider, come to our walk in clinic when open, or or call 9-1-1/go to the nearest hospital..

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE SENSITIVE HEALTH INFORMATION BY EMAIL, TEXT OR BY PHONE MESSAGE.

It is important to understand that there are some privacy risks in communicating by email, text, and phone messages:
They may not be secure. While we try to protect our emails, text  and phone messages, we cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of anything you send to or receive from us. As the message leaves our in box, it is sent across the internet and it could be intercepted and read. Phone or text messages could be intercepted by other individuals who have access to your devices, or can be sent to the wrong number.

People who may have access to your emails and/or text or voice messages may include midwives, our administrative staff , other health care provider working with BREATHE Midwives (doctor, Nurses, social worker) and people providing coverage for your health care provider (like a locum midwife).

Emails may be filed on your health record depending on the content of the email message and can become a permanent part of your health record. As part of your record, emails may be shared within our team or third parties, with your consent or if we are permitted or required by law (including with other health care providers and insurance companies).

Email is easy to forge, easy to forward (sometimes accidentally and to many people) and may exist forever.

We recommend you provide us a personal email address and phone number that only you read. We recommend that you use an email address and system that is password protected and a phone number where others do not have access to your password or messages. If you give us a family email address or share your email address and/or phone number with anyone else, you should know that other people may also receive or read email, text and voice messages we send to you. If you use a work email address or phone, your employer may have a right to archive and look at emails, text, voice messages from their systems. We recommend you avoid using a work email address and or phone number.

BREATHE Midwives is not responsible for information loss due to technical failures.

BREATHE Midwives may choose not to communicate with you by email if you do not consent to the email requirements.

I have read and fully understand this consent and release form. I understand the risks associated with using email and text and I accept those risks. I understand the limits set out for using email and text as communication and I agree to follow those limits. I understand if I no longer wish to communicate with BREATHE Midwives by email and text I will tell someone at BREATHE Midwives. I agree that BREATHE Midwives (which for this agreement and release includes the non-profit and any affiliated midwife and their respective staff, agents and officers) shall not be responsible for any personal injury including death, or privacy breach (outside the control of the non-profit) or other damages as a result of my choice to communicate with the organization by email and I release and hold harmless BREATHE Midwives from any liability relating to communicating with me by email.

If I had any questions about this form, I asked those questions and agree that my questions have been answered.
I understand I have the right to have legal advice about this document and what it means to me and have either sought that advice or have chosen not to seek such advice. By using the services from Breath Midwives, I agree to the terms and condition in this document and as discussed.

Last Updated May 1, 2024