About the Counselor
                                                                           
                                    Privacy Statement

    DISCLAIMER AND SITE AGREEMENT
    All data, information, text, graphics, links and other material on the Hamel Substance Abuse Services (HSAS)  Web site are
    provided as a convenience to our site visitors. HSAS does not warrant the accuracy of any data, information, text, graphics or
    other materials on this site or any other sites linked to or from this site. HSAS makes no commitment to update or correct any
    information on this Web site and accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in any of the materials on or any
    materials referred to in this site or linked to this site.

    All material on the web site is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, expressed or implied. HSAS make no warranty
    that the information on this site will be applicable to your particular purposes, and under no circumstances will HSAS  be
    responsible for any loss or damage resulting from anyone's reliance on the information or other content posted on this site or
    from sites linked to this site. HSAS make no warranty that the use of this site will be uninterrupted and although we maintain
    the most recent virus protection available on this site, HSAS make no guarantee that this site is free from viruses.

    By visiting this Web site, you agree that neither HSAS, the Web site designer, host or Internet service provider is responsible
    to you, and you hold harmless HSAS, web site designer, host and Internet service provider from any claim, loss, direct or
    indirect expense, special or punitive damages of any kind you may incur in connection with the use of this Web site, even if
    you have previously advised HSAS of the possibility of such claim.

    INTERNET PRIVACY STATEMENT
    As of July 1, 2005

    HSAS has a strong commitment to providing excellent service to all of our friends, alumni and visitors, including respecting
    your concerns about privacy. We understand that you might wonder whether and how this Website collects and uses
    information. This statement contains numerous general and technical details about the steps we take to respect your privacy
    concerns.

    Browsing:
    This website does not collect any personal information from your computer when browsing this site. Unless you give us
    written permission to post information on our Alumni Information Form or request a reply using one of our feedback or reply
    forms, we will not know your name, your e-mail address, or any other information that identifies you.

    Internet Protocol (IP) Address:
    An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer every time you browse the Internet. When you
    request a page from our site, our server logs your current IP address. We would only use your IP address to help diagnose
    problems that affect the integrity of our computer systems, not for personal identification of any users.

    Cookies:
    Our website uses temporary "cookie" technology in the Virtual Tour section our site. "Cookies" are strings of text that a
    Website stores on a user's computer. Cookies enable a website to keep track of a user's preferences and activities relating to
    that website. Our website creates a temporary cookie - one that expires when you turn off your browser - to facilitate your visit.
    Because these cookies are only temporarily placed on your hard drive, they do not enable us, or anyone else, to build or
    maintain profiles of your activities over time and across websites.

    Information Needed to Execute the Transaction You Request:
    When we need to collect information from you, we will ask you to voluntarily supply us with the information we need. For
    example, if you would like to receive information about admission to the Center, you may fill out the Inquiry Form in the
    Admissions section which requests information about your name, address, phone number and e-mail address plus a place
    to check programs you wish to receive information about and a place to write your question, plus questions about how you
    heard about us (for evaluation of our own marketing practices). We will use your e-mail address only to provide the
    information you requested, or to communicate news as you requested. If at any time you decide you do not want to receive this
    information, you may let us know by reply e-mail or use the form to request that we no longer contact you. Providing
    information to us using any of our on-line forms is voluntary and the information we collect is used only for the purpose for
    which the information was collected and is not shared with any other companies.

    Hamel Substance Abuse Services Use of Information:
    We treat the information that you provide to us as confidential information. It is, accordingly, subject to the Center's security
    procedures and strict corporate policies regarding protection and use of information. We will only disclose this information to
    individuals at the Center on a need-to-know basis and person(s) authorized by you. Patient and Alumni information is
    additionally protected under the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
    Act of 1996 (HIPAA). HSAS maintains strict compliance with each of these laws and regulations.

    The laws applicable to personal information vary from country to country. The information we process and store is kept in
    accordance with the applicable United States legal requirements, which may not be as comprehensive as the data protection
    laws found in other countries, such as those in the European Union.

    E-Mails and Opt-Out:
    Our goal is to only send e-mails that are likely to be of interest to you. All e-mail is generated from HSAS and not from an
    outside third-party e-mail service provider. HSAS  do not make e-mail addresses available to any partners in the HSAS
    Network or to any others for their use. You may at any time request not to receive e-mails from HSAS by replying to any e-mail
    with your request to opt-out.

    Disclosure of Information to Third Parties:
    HSAS prohibits the sale or transfer of personal information to anyone outside the HSAS.

    Links to Other Sites:
    Other sites linked to by the HSAS web site are offered for your convenience only. HSAS are not responsible for the privacy
    policies of those sites, or for cookies those sites might use.

    Legal Issues:
    This is a United States web site and subject to United States law. HSAS will disclose personal health information without your
    permission only when required by law, or in a good faith belief that such action is necessary to investigate or protect against
    harmful activities to HSAS patients, staff, volunteers, alumni, property (including this site) or to others or as authorized by
    federal medical privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

    HSAS Privacy Statement Changes:
    In the future, we may need to change the privacy statement for www.soberliving.com. All changes will be made here so that
    you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information and whether we will disclose it to
    anyone. Any changes made in the future will only apply to information collected after any new policy is established.

    How to Contact Us:
    If you have any questions about this privacy statement or privacy concerns, please send an e-mail to:
    privacyofficer@soberliving.com

    NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
    As of July 1, 2005

    THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN
    GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

    Your health record contains personal information about you and your health. State and federal law protects the confidentiality
    of this information. "Protected health information" is information about you, including demographic information, that may
    identify you and that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition and related health care
    services. The confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records is specifically protected by Federal law and
    regulations. HSAS are required to comply with these additional restrictions. This includes a prohibition, with very few
    exceptions, on informing anyone outside the program that you attend the program or disclosing any information that identifies
    you as an alcohol or drug abuser. The violation of Federal laws or regulations by this program is a crime. If you suspect a
    violation you may file a report to the appropriate authorities in accordance with Federal regulations.

    How We May Use and Disclose Health Information About You
    For Treatment. We may use medical and clinical information about you to provide you with treatment or services.
    For Payment. With your authorization, we may use and disclose medical information about you so that we can receive
    payment for the treatment services provided to you.
    For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose your protected health information ("PHI") for certain purposes in
    connection with the operation of our program.
    Without Authorization. Applicable law also permits us to disclose information about you without your authorization in a limited
    number of other situations, such as with a court order. These situations are explained on the following pages.
    With Authorization. We must obtain written authorization from you for other uses and disclosures of your PHI.
    Your Rights Regarding Your PHI.
    You have the following rights regarding PHI we maintain about you:

    Right of Access to Inspect and Copy. You have the right, which may be restricted in certain circumstances, to inspect and copy
    PHI that may be used to make decisions about your care. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies.
    Right to Amend. If you feel that the PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information
    although we are not required to agree to the amendment.
    Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an accounting of the disclosures that we make of your
    PHI. There are exceptions that do not require accounting for, including disclosures made for the purposes of treatment,
    payment, health care operations or pursuant to an authorization.
    Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the use or of your PHI for treatment,
    payment, or health care operations. We are not required to agree to your request.
    Right to Request Confidential Communication. You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical
    matters in a certain way or at a certain location.
    Right to a Copy of this Notice. You have the right to a copy of this notice.
    Complaints. You have the right to file a complaint in writing to us or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you
    believe we have violated your privacy rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
    If you have any questions about this Notice of Privacy Practices.

    This Notice of Privacy Practices describes how we may use and disclose your protected health information ("PHI") in
    accordance with all applicable law. It also describes your rights regarding how you may gain access to and control your PHI.
    We are required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
    with respect to PHI. We are required to abide by the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to change
    the terms of our Notice of Privacy Practices at any time. Any new Notice of Privacy Practices will be effective for all PHI that we
    maintain at that time. We will make available a revised Notice of Privacy Practices by posting a copy on our website www.
    hamelsubstanceabuse.com, sending a copy to you in the mail upon request, or providing one to you at your next appointment.

    How We May Use and Disclose Health Information about You
    Listed below are examples of the uses and disclosures that HSAS may make of your protected health information ("PHI").
    These examples are not meant to be exhaustive. Rather, they describe types of uses and disclosures that may be made.

    Uses and Disclosures of PHI for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations

    Treatment. Your PHI may be used and disclosed by your physician, counselor, program staff and others outside of our
    program that are involved in your care for the purpose of providing, coordinating, or managing your health care treatment and
    any related services. This includes coordination or management of your health care with a third party, consultation with other
    health care providers or referral to another provider for health care treatment. For example, your protected health information
    may be provided to the state agency that referred you to our program to ensure that you are participating in treatment. In
    addition, we may disclose your protected health information from time-to-time to another physician or health care provider (e.
    g., a specialist or laboratory) who, at the request of the program, becomes involved in your care.

    Payment. We will not use your PHI to obtain payment for your health care services without your written authorization.
    Examples of payment-related activities are: making a determination of eligibility or coverage for insurance benefits,
    processing claims with your insurance company, reviewing services provided to you to determine medical necessity, or
    undertaking utilization review activities.

    Healthcare Operations. We may use or disclose, as needed, your PHI in order to support the business activities of our
    program including, but not limited to, quality improvement activities, alumni activities, employee review activities, training of
    students, licensing, and conducting or arranging for other business activities. For example, we may use a sign-in sheet at
    program activities where you will be asked to sign your name. We may share your PHI with third parties that perform various
    business activities (e.g., billing or transcription services) for HSAS, provided we have a written contract with the business that
    prohibits it from re-disclosing your PHI and requires it to safeguard the privacy of your PHI.

    We may contact you to remind you of your appointments or to provide information to you about treatment alternatives or other
    health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. We may also contact you concerning HSAS’ activities.

    Other Uses and Disclosures That Do Not Require Your Authorization

    Required by Law. We may use or disclose your PHI to the extent that the use or disclosure is required by law, made in
    compliance with the law, and limited to the relevant requirements of the law. You will be notified, as required by law, of any
    such uses or disclosures. Under the law, we must make disclosures of your PHI to you upon your request. In addition, we
    must make disclosures to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of investigating or
    determining our compliance with the requirements of the Privacy Rule.

    Health Oversight. We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as audits,
    investigations, and inspections. Oversight agencies seeking this information include government agencies and organizations
    that provide financial assistance to the program (such as third-party payers) and peer review organizations performing
    utilization and quality control. If we disclose PHI to a health oversight agency, we will have an agreement in place that requires
    the agency to safeguard the privacy of your information.

    Medical Emergencies. We may use or disclose your protected health information in a medical emergency situation to
    medical personnel only. Our staff will try to provide you a copy of this notice as soon as reasonably practicable after the
    resolution of the emergency.

    Child Abuse/Neglect or Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse/Neglect. We may disclose your PHI to a state or local agency that is
    authorized by law to receive reports of child abuse or neglect. However, the information we disclose is limited to only that
    information which is necessary to make the initial mandated report.

    Research. We may disclose PHI to researchers if (a) an Institutional Review Board reviews and approves the research and a
    waiver to the authorization requirement; (b) the researchers establish protocols to ensure the privacy of your PHI; (c) the
    researchers agree to maintain the security of your PHI in accordance with applicable laws and regulations; and (d) the
    researchers agree not to redisclose your protected health information except back to HSAS

    Criminal Activity on Program Premises/Against Program Personnel. We may disclose your PHI to law enforcement officials
    if you have committed a crime on program premises or against program personnel.

    Court Order. We may disclose your PHI if the court issues an appropriate order and follows required procedures.

    Uses and Disclosures of PHI with Your Written Authorization. Other uses and disclosures of your PHI will be made only with
    your written authorization. You may revoke this authorization at any time, unless the program or its staff has taken an action in
    reliance on the authorization of the use or disclosure you permitted.

    Your Rights Regarding your Protected Health Information. Your rights with respect to your protected health information are
    explained below. Any requests with respect to these rights must be in writing. A brief description of how you may exercise
    these rights is included.

    You have the right to inspect and copy your Protected Health Information. You may inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI
    that is contained in a designated record set for as long as we maintain the record. A "designated record set" contains medical
    and billing records and any other records that the program uses for making decisions about you. Your request must be in
    writing. We may charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for the copies. We can deny you access to your PHI in certain
    circumstances. In some of those cases, you will have a right to appeal the denial of access. Please contact the Health
    Information Management Department if you have questions about access to your medical record.

    You may have the right to amend your Protected Health Information. You may request, in writing, that we amend your PHI
    that has been included in a designated record set. In certain cases, we may deny your request for an amendment. If we deny
    your request for amendment, you have the right to file a statement of disagreement with us. We may prepare a rebuttal to your
    statement and will provide you with a copy of it. Please contact the Health Information Management Department if you have
    questions about amending your medical record.

    You have the right to receive an accounting of some types of Protected Health Information disclosures. You may request
    an accounting of disclosures for a period of up to six years, excluding disclosures made to you, made for treatment purposes
    or made as a result of your authorization. We may charge you a reasonable fee if you request more than one accounting in
    any 12 month period. Please contact the Health Information Management Department if you have questions about accounting
    of disclosures.

    You have a right to receive a paper copy of this notice. You have the right to obtain a copy of this notice from us. Any
    questions should be directed to our Privacy Officer.

    You have the right to request added restrictions on disclosures and uses of your Protected Health Information. You have
    the right to ask us not to use or disclose any part of your PHI for treatment, payment or health care operations or to family
    members involved in your care. Your request for restrictions must be in writing and we are not required to agree to such
    restrictions. Please contact the Health Information Management Department if you would like to request restrictions on the
    disclosure of your PHI.

    You have a right to request confidential communications. You have the right to request to receive confidential
    communications from us by alternative means or at an alternative location. We will accommodate reasonable, written
    requests. We may also condition this accommodation by asking you for information regarding how payment will be handled
    or specification of an alternative address or other method of contact. We will not ask you why you are making the request.
    Please contact the Privacy Officer if you would like to make this request.

    Complaints. If you believe we have violated your privacy rights, you may file a complaint in writing to us by notifying our Privacy
    Officer, Meredith Hamel 1 Old Dover Rd., Suite 10 Rochester, NH 03867 603-335-7070 We will not retaliate against you for
    filing a complaint. You may also file a complaint with:

    U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
    200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
    Washington, D.C. 20201
    (202) 619-0257



     If you need help, please don't put it off any Longer.
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About the Counselor
Meredith Hamel ICADC, LADC
has worked in the Human Service field
for over 21 years in various settings
including schools, community outreach and group homes.  

She graduated from NSCC with
an associate degree in mental health counseling,
and went on to Salem State College
earning a Bachelors Degree in Social Work / Psychology.
She served eight years in the Air National Guard.

In past years,
she has worked as a Program Director
for a Community Supported Living Program
for people dually diagnosed with major mental health
and substance abuse disorders.

Most recently, she was the Director for the
Strafford County Academy,
an alternative sentencing program for people
charged with drug related felonies.

She currently is a nationally certified alcohol and
drug abuse counselor (ICADC), state certified instructor
for the Impaired Driver Intervention Program (IDIP)
for those convicted of first offense DWI.  
She works as a substance abuse counselor
at Dover High School and has a private practice as a
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

Ms. Hamel has served on the Dover Coalition for
Alcohol Awareness Subcommittee,
she was a member of the
Strafford County Drug Court Planning Team
and the Strafford County Academy Advisory Board.  
She is currently a member of the
Rochester coalition for youth and families.
Hamel Substance Abuse Services