[Med-privacy] [Fwd: New York Blood Center requires SSN to donate]

[Jeff Williams]

Ilene and all,

  They also don't say what they do with your SSN once you have
provided it to gain a donor card either...  There is also no information
as to what is done with your SSN, once obtained...
So:
Is after the first donation of blood and receipt of a "Donor Card",
your SSN deleted from their data records/data base?  If so, how
can this be verified and is the donor notified of that deletion?

Ilene Johnson wrote:

> This is what is on their web site concerning SSN.  What they don't say is
> how to get a donor number and keep SSN out of their records permanently.
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> In  the past year many more donors have questioned the requirement to
> provide their social security number as part of the blood donation process.
> We at the New York Blood Center are very sensitive to the privacy and
> confidentiality of information about our blood donors.
> After a person has donated blood for the first time a NYBC Donor Card with a
> unique "Donor Number" will be issued. Repeat donors may use this unique
> Donor Number in lieu of a social security number for any future donations,
> provided they present their signed donor ID card at the time of donation.If
> a first time donor or a repeat donor without a donor ID card refuses to
> provide their social security number, he/she is not eligible for donation at
> that time.
>
> The New York Blood Center uses social security numbers to uniquely identify
> donors, so that we can maintain a computerized record of each donor and all
> of the donations they have given to our organization. The purpose of unique
> records is to protect the safety of the blood supply. For example, we need
> to know that if a donor who is ineligible donates blood, it must be
> discarded. We need to be able to trace previous donations from a donor who
> subsequently tests positive on one of the blood screening tests.
>
> The ability to maintain a unique record is a requirement of the Food and
> Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates blood collection in
> the United States. The federal Social Security Act states that blood
> collection organizations may use social security numbers as unique donor
> identifiers. It is fair to say that social security number is used
> throughout the country in this way. An acceptable alternative to social
> security number is passport or visa number.
>
> Law at the state level addresses protection of blood donor confidentiality.
> We only release information about blood donors if required by law, such as
> Dept of Health reporting of various test results, or by court order. We
> never share information about donors with their employer, insurance company,
> financial agencies, etc. This includes demographic data such as social
> security number. Multiple levels of access codes and passwords protect our
> computerized donor records.
>
> We have never had a breach in confidentiality of records. We hope that our
> donors will remember the trust the community places in them to provide an
> adequate blood supply and continue or join this worthy endeavor. GIVE BLOOD,
> SAVE A NEIGHBOR!

Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 134k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Be precise in the use of words and expect precision from others" -
    Pierre Abelard

"If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B;
liability depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
===============================================================
Updated 1/26/04
CSO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security
IDNS. div. of Information Network Eng.  INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
 Registered Email addr with the USPS
Contact Number: 214-244-4827