About Immigration Enforcement and Patient Privacy

Dear CCH Team,

Many of you have asked how best to support patients and clients in this uncertain political moment, especially those worried about immigration enforcement.

At last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, about 100 protestors attended to speak out during the Sheriff’s annual disclosure about how his office interacts and shares information with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). The public is paying close attention – so is CCH, and the people we serve.

At Contra Costa Health, our mission is to provide health care. Our staff do not assist with enforcement actions. We do not allow access to nonpublic areas of our facilities without a valid judicial warrant. To ensure safety, our staff are also instructed not to physically intervene if agents do enter without consent. The guidance in our earlier training video remains in effect.

CCH safeguards sensitive information within our health system and adheres to state and federal privacy laws, such as HIPAA. However, most of our services are funded by Medi-Cal and, as part of program operations, our local Medi-Cal data is shared with the State of California. The state, in turn, is required to share certain eligibility information with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This includes names, addresses, dates of birth, and other identifiers.

We now know that the CMS have shared patient information with immigration enforcement. This is beyond our control, but we know it can raise concerns for our patients about their privacy and safety. The state of California has joined a lawsuit against this data sharing.

When patients ask, please be transparent. CCH will protect their information within our system. It is important for them to know that disenrolling from Medi-Cal will not protect their information. Cancelling coverage now may only result in the loss of essential healthcare services. For patients concerned about visiting our facilities, it is also important to share how to receive other kinds of care, such as telehealth or mobile clinic services in their area.

For those with questions about their rights or immigration status, our Employment & Human Services Department maintains an excellent Immigration Resources web page. I encourage us all to familiarize ourselves, so we can familiarize people in our care.

We remain committed to our mission: to care for and improve the health of all people in Contra Costa County with special attention to those who are most vulnerable to health problems. It is critical that patients should be able to seek and access medical care without fear.

Thank you for continuing to care for our community with compassion and integrity.

With Appreciation,

Ori Tzvieli, MD

Contra Costa County Health Officer

CEO and Health Director (Interim)

Contra Costa Health