1. Introduction
Welcome to RehabSearch.org ("we", "our", or "us"). We understand that navigating addiction, treatment, and recovery involves highly sensitive personal information. We are fundamentally committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency regarding how your data is collected, used, and safeguarded when using our website and services.
This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors, users, and others who access our directory, read our resources, or utilize our referral hotlines.
2. Important Medical & HIPAA Disclaimer
RehabSearch.org is an informational directory, not a healthcare provider. We do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consequently, the information you submit via search queries on our site is not necessarily protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as we are not a "Covered Entity."
However, if you choose to call our affiliate partners via the 24/7 hotlines provided on our site, you will be connected to accredited treatment facilities or referral services that are bound by HIPAA and strict medical confidentiality laws.
3. Information We Collect
We believe in data minimization. We only collect information that is strictly necessary to operate our directory and improve the user experience. This falls into two categories:
- Information Collected Automatically: Like most websites, we use standard analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to collect non-identifying telemetry. This includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and the pages you view on our site. We use this strictly to ensure our platform scales properly and to understand which addiction resources are most needed by our audience.
- Voluntarily Provided Information: We do not currently require user accounts. If you choose to contact us via email regarding directory updates or editorial feedback, we will retain your email address and correspondence solely for the purpose of responding to you.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use standard cookies and similar tracking technologies to store your preferences (such as light/dark mode if applicable) and for aggregated site analytics. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent.
Given the sensitive nature of our content, we do not use invasive retargeting pixels that follow you around the internet serving advertisements based on the specific substance abuse pages you have visited on our site.
5. How We Use Information
The minimal data we collect is used to:
- Maintain, optimize, and diagnose technical issues with RehabSearch.org.
- Identify missing treatment data across different U.S. states to improve our directory's geographical coverage.
- Ensure our site is secure against bots, scrapers, and malicious activity.
6. Third-Party Links & Partner Facilities
Our website is a directory. We link out extensively to third-party treatment centers, government resources (like SAMHSA), and behavioral health hotlines. Our privacy policy does not apply to those external websites.
We highly recommend reading the privacy policies of any facility or organization you visit or contact via our platform. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, data collection, or clinical outcomes of the third-party providers listed in our directory.
7. Data Security
We deploy robust, industry-standard security measures (including SSL encryption) to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of data. However, remember that no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
8. Children's Privacy
Our resources are intended for individuals 18 years of age or older, or parents seeking help for minors. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your Child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us.
9. Changes to This Policy
We reserve the right to update or change our Privacy Policy at any time. We will notify you of any structural changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact our editorial team at:
Email: [email protected]