The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program (OSP) is an initiative supported by the Ministry of Health  (MOH) with the goal of expanding the availability of psychotherapy services to Ontarians who suffer from depression and anxiety. This program will give you the opportunity to participate in a psychotherapy treatment with a qualified professional that best meets your needs and preferences.

Participation in the OSP Program requires the collection and sharing of personal health information (PHI)  – just as one does when they visit a medical doctor in Ontario.

To help determine what services would best support your needs, personal information will be collected  and maintained by Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (Waypoint). This information will include your:

• Ontario health card number
• Date of birth
• Demographic information
• Treatment and assessment information

You may also receive services from one or more providers within our service network depending on  your needs, and your health information will be securely shared with these providers as part of your care. Program data will also be shared with Ontario Health to improve the quality of the OSP program

Using New Tools and Technology

Before we use any new tools or technology – especially those involving advanced data tools or Artificial Intelligence (AI) – we carefully check to make sure they are safe, fair, and used in the right way.

We do this through:

• Impact Assessments – We study how new tools will use your data and check for risks to privacy, safety, and human rights.
• Ethical and Clinical Oversight – Our committees review all new tools to make sure they can be used ethically and follow our values of Caring, Respect, Innovation, and Accountability.
• Stakeholder Engagement – We involve the right people at the right time - at every stage - from planning, to design, implementation and ongoing monitoring.

How We Use Artificial Intelligence (AI)

When we use AI, we follow important principles to make sure it’s done safely, fairly, and with respect:

1. People First – We make sure AI supports the well-being of patients, staff, and others affected by it.
2. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – AI technologies must support fair and equitable access to high-quality, culturally appropriate and safe services and help reduce bias and inequities.
3. Privacy and Security – AI systems are built to secure data and protect personal and sensitive information. Data is used only for approved purposes and regularly checked.
4. Safety and Oversight – AI and Machine Learning (ML) technologies are reviewed by experts and monitored to make sure they are working properly.
5. Accountability and Responsibility – People are always responsible for how AI is used – not machines.
6. Transparency – We are open about how, when, and where AI is used.
7. Understanding AI – People who use AI are trained to do so responsibly. We also help others understand how AI might affect them so they can use it or ask questions with confidence.
8. Indigenous-led Governance and Data Sovereignty – We respect and support Indigenous peoples’ and communities’ rights to control their own data. We follow Indigenous-led governance frameworks.

Data Privacy and Confidentiality FAQ

How will my Personal Health Information be collected, used and protected?

1. What information is being collected and why?
   As a client of this program, your Ontario health card number, basic personal information (e.g. your name, DOB, address, etc.), demographic information (e.g. age, sex) and treatment assessment results will be collected to understand what treatment is most appropriate for you, to connect you with a service provider and to improve Waypoint and shared with your service provider. Program data will be shared with Ontario Health to improve mental health programming in Ontario.
   
   
2. Are there any risks or benefits to participating in this program?
   The benefits of participating in the program include the opportunity to access free evidence-based psychotherapy and related approaches and hopefully you will experience an improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety by the end of treatment. The potential risks of treatment include the possibility that when thinking or talking about upsetting aspects of your life, you will experience a temporary increase in distress.
   
   
3. Is participation in OSP voluntary?
   Your participation in this program is entirely voluntary and you are free to choose to withdraw from the program at any time by contacting OSP at 549-3181 ex.2883 or OSP@waypointcentre.ca.
   
   
4. Will my Personal Health Information remain private and confidential?
   Your personal health information will be protected and your confidentiality maintained at all times. Protection of your personal health information is governed by law under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). This Act sets out rules that must be followed when collecting, storing, using and/or sharing personal health information for treatment.
   
   There are some exceptions to confidentiality where information may be released with or without your consent. The exceptions are:
   
   1. If your care provider believes that you are at immediate risk of suicide or serious bodily harm to yourself and disclosure would eliminate or reduce the risk;
   2. If your care provider believes that there is an immediate risk of serious physical harm or injury to another person and disclosure would eliminate or reduce the risk;
   3. If your care provider suspects a child under 18 may be at risk for abuse or neglect
   4. If your care provider believes that any regulated health professional has sexually abused or has been sexually inappropriate with a client
   5. If your care provider believes that an elderly person living in a long-term care facility is being abused
   6. Where the disclosure is permitted or required by law (e.g., your information is subpoenaed by a court of law), or disclosure where permitted by PHIPA or other legislation.
   
   In order to provide you with the best and most appropriate treatment available, your information may be shared with other service providers under OSP, as deemed necessary by your clinician.
   
   In addition, your care provider may discuss your progress with their clinical supervisor and other therapist trainees as part of ongoing supervision or consultation.
   
   
5. What happens to my Personal Health Information in the OSP Program?
   All PHI collected will be securely stored with the OSP service provider and comply with institutional data storage protocols. If deemed necessary for treatment, your information may be securely transferred to another service provider within the OSP Program.
   
   For evaluation and reporting purposes, service providers will regularly transfer client information to the provincial data repository for OSP Program. The data repository will securely receive information from all participating OSP service providers, and may combine client records across multiple providers if necessary for the purposes of reporting.
   
   Reports may be shared with Ontario Health, the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, regional health authorities (i.e. one or more Ontario Health Teams), and service providers within the network. All reports produced will contain only de-identified aggregate data. In other words, there will be no PHI or information presented in any reports that will be able to identify an individual participating in OSP Program.
   
   
6. What is the OSP Program provincial data repository?
   Ontario Health has tasked the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Provincial System Support Program (PSSP) and its Drug and Alcohol Treatment Information System (DATIS) with supporting the OSP Program. DATIS acts as the provincial data repository and is responsible for storing, analyzing and reporting on OSP Program clients from all service providers across Ontario.
   
   
7. Who can I contact if I have more questions regarding privacy and confidentiality of my data in the OSP program?
   If a client has any questions, concerns or complaints related to Waypoint’s information or privacy practices, they can contact the OSP program at OSP@waypointcentre.ca or Waypoint’s privacy officer, Alec Stubbs.
   
   If a client feels that their concerns regarding compliance with PHIPA have not been addressed, they may also contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC):
   
   Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
   2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
   Toronto, Ontario
   Canada M4W 1A8
   Web: www.ipc.on.ca
   Telephone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073