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ColonCancerCheck Privacy Letter

How your health information and privacy are protected

Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) is an agency of the Ministry of Health that provides the people of Ontario with cancer screening programs, including the ColonCancerCheck program. The ColonCancerCheck program helps people in Ontario get checked for colon cancer.

About the personal health information we collect

Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) collects personal health information, such as test results, about people who may need to get checked for colon cancer. This information is collected from organizations and professionals, such as doctors. We keep this information in the Ontario Cancer Screening Registry. We are allowed to collect and use this information to improve healthcare in Ontario under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. This act is Ontario’s health privacy law.

How we use personal health information

  • We send letters inviting people in Ontario to get checked for colon cancer using the fecal immunochemical test (FIT).
  • We send people their FIT results.
  • We help people with abnormal FIT results get support from a family doctor or nurse practitioner if they do not have one.
  • We remind people to get checked for colon cancer again.
  • We let doctors know when their patients get checked for colon cancer and what their test results are.

To find out more about your FIT results, you can contact your family doctor or nurse practitioner. If you do not get your results, or do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, call us at 1-866-662-9233.

How to stop getting letters from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)

At any time, you can ask Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) to stop sending you letters. If you ask us to stop sending you letters, you will still be able to do a FIT, except:

  • We will not invite or remind you to do a FIT.
  • If you do a FIT, we will not send you the results. You can get your results from your family doctor or nurse practitioner.
  • If you do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, we will only send your results to you if you ask us to.

To learn more about the Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) screening program privacy rules call 1-866-662-9233, visit cancercareontario.ca/screeningphi or email cancerinfo@ontariohealth.ca.

To stop getting cancer screening letters, fill out the form at cancercareontario.ca/screeningletters or call 1-866-662-9233 to get a form. You may change your mind at any time.