A Patient With Covid 19 Is Suing Health Pei For Breach Of Privacy In Hospital

According to a civil lawsuit filed in the PEI Supreme Court, information about the man’s medical condition, including the fact that he is HIV-positive, was leaked by a hospital staff member and published by Island blogger and political activist Kevin Arsenault. Arsenault’s post on social media reported that the information came from a hospital nurse caring for the patient. The man is suing Health PEI for $ 500,000 in damages. A Health PEI spokesman said the agency could not comment on the lawsuit, but was aware of it. “As a result of the widespread dissemination of this information in a small community, the plaintiff suffered social stigma and serious mental health injuries, including anxiety and depression,” according to court documents. The man and his wife bought a house in PEI in 2014, settling in a small community of 300 to 400 people, according to the lawsuit. Near the beginning of April 2021, the man tested positive for COVID-19. He was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown on April 9 and “treated in the following weeks, spending several days in the intensive care unit.”

Health PEI audited access to electronic files

On April 21, the man learned that his medical history had been posted on Facebook by Arsenault. According to court documents, Arsenault’s post read: “I was contacted late this afternoon by a person with information directly from a nurse caring for the person being treated for – allegedly – the COVID-19 virus.” Attached to the post is a screenshot that read: “The case of Covid in the hospital is a gay man in his 40s, he has HIV and therefore he is probably autoimmune. He is fine right now and he is taking oxygen … I know many nurses from the hospital and this came from a nurse who cares “immediately for him. I’m not allowed to tell anyone …” Arsenault, who frequently publishes material suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous, later removed the screenshot, according to the lawsuit. The entire post has been removed from his Facebook page. The plaintiff “was the only person at that time in PEI who was treated with COVID-19 [so] “could easily and definitively link to the subject of this public post on social media,” the lawsuit states. The legal document goes on to say that the man and his family “became the subject of rumors and gossip. [He] he could not leave his house without the members of the community staring at him and talking about him. ” Health PEI found out about the privacy breach on April 19 and informed the man on April 21, two days before he was discharged from the hospital, according to the lawsuit. The agency conducted an investigation, including an audit of who had access to the patient’s chart in the hospital’s electronic record system. This check found that a hospital staff member had access to the records even though it had nothing to do with providing care to the patient. The issue that was made public … would be extremely offensive to a reasonable person.- Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that a report from Health PEI’s investigation stated that the man’s underlying condition “could be related to sensitivity” and that the patient would have “an increased expectation of confidentiality”. The office of the PEI Commissioner for Information and Personal Data also investigated the incident, according to the lawsuit. This investigation found that “personally identifiable” health information had been revealed. The man and his family sold their house – “at a discount”, the lawsuit claims – and left the PEI. The lawsuit was filed by a Toronto-based law firm. “The issue that has been made public is such that it would be extremely offensive to a reasonable person,” the lawsuit states. “Although the fact that someone is being treated for COVID-19 may have worried the public during the pandemic, [the man’s] sexual orientation and HIV status were not “.

title: “A Patient With Covid 19 Is Suing Health Pei For Breach Of Privacy In Hospital Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-17” author: “Jermaine Degan”

According to a civil lawsuit filed in the PEI Supreme Court, information about the man’s medical condition, including the fact that he is HIV-positive, was leaked by a hospital staff member and published by Island blogger and political activist Kevin Arsenault. Arsenault’s post on social media reported that the information came from a hospital nurse caring for the patient. The man is suing Health PEI for $ 500,000 in damages. A Health PEI spokesman said the agency could not comment on the lawsuit, but was aware of it. “As a result of the widespread dissemination of this information in a small community, the plaintiff suffered social stigma and serious mental health injuries, including anxiety and depression,” according to court documents. The man and his wife bought a house in PEI in 2014, settling in a small community of 300 to 400 people, according to the lawsuit. Near the beginning of April 2021, the man tested positive for COVID-19. He was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown on April 9 and “treated in the following weeks, spending several days in the intensive care unit.”

Health PEI audited access to electronic files

On April 21, the man learned that his medical history had been posted on Facebook by Arsenault. According to court documents, Arsenault’s post read: “I was contacted late this afternoon by a person with information directly from a nurse caring for the person being treated for – allegedly – the COVID-19 virus.” Attached to the post is a screenshot that read: “The case of Covid in the hospital is a gay man in his 40s, he has HIV and therefore he is probably autoimmune. He is fine right now and he is taking oxygen … I know many nurses from the hospital and this came from a nurse who cares “immediately for him. I’m not allowed to tell anyone …” Arsenault, who frequently publishes material suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous, later removed the screenshot, according to the lawsuit. The entire post has been removed from his Facebook page. The plaintiff “was the only person at that time in PEI who was treated with COVID-19 [so] “could easily and definitively link to the subject of this public post on social media,” the lawsuit states. The legal document goes on to say that the man and his family “became the subject of rumors and gossip. [He] he could not leave his house without the members of the community staring at him and talking about him. ” Health PEI found out about the privacy breach on April 19 and informed the man on April 21, two days before he was discharged from the hospital, according to the lawsuit. The agency conducted an investigation, including an audit of who had access to the patient’s chart in the hospital’s electronic record system. This check found that a hospital staff member had access to the records even though it had nothing to do with providing care to the patient. The issue that was made public … would be extremely offensive to a reasonable person.- Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that a report from Health PEI’s investigation stated that the man’s underlying condition “could be related to sensitivity” and that the patient would have “an increased expectation of confidentiality”. The office of the PEI Commissioner for Information and Personal Data also investigated the incident, according to the lawsuit. This investigation found that “personally identifiable” health information had been revealed. The man and his family sold their house – “at a discount”, the lawsuit claims – and left the PEI. The lawsuit was filed by a Toronto-based law firm. “The issue that has been made public is such that it would be extremely offensive to a reasonable person,” the lawsuit states. “Although the fact that someone is being treated for COVID-19 may have worried the public during the pandemic, [the man’s] sexual orientation and HIV status were not “.