The Salt Lake County Health Department uses data to ensure high-quality service delivery, support operational needs in our mission to promote and protect community and environmental health, and continually improve patient and client experiences. In some cases, personal information also helps us meet legal, financial, and reporting obligations. We may also employ technology-assisted tools, like AI and automation, with safeguards to support these purposes while limiting personal data use and requiring additional review for high-risk automated processing. In many instances, your data is only shared in aggregate, with personally identifiable data removed.
We use your nonaggregated personal, nonpublic data for the following purposes:
- Account Management: Patient and permittee account data allows us to establish your identity and ensure secure access to services.
- Business and Financial Transactions: Data related to paying for services are necessary for financial accountability and auditing.
- Communication and Notifications: Contact information is used to communicate information concerning department business or to respond to inquiries.
- Promoting and Protecting Community and Environmental Health: Data related to environmental health permitting and requests for service, and data related to patients and clients, are used to fulfill statutory public health requirements under Utah Code 26A.
- Safety and Security: Data may be collected to help maintain a safe environment for all patients, clients, and staff. This includes video surveillance in public, nonclinical areas of health department facilities.
Other reasons we may use your data:
- Compliance and Reporting: We must collect certain data for regulatory compliance, grant applications and reporting, and reporting to governing bodies.
- IT System Backups and Data Recovery: Patient, client, and operational data may be included in routine IT backups to ensure service continuity and protect against data loss due to technical failure, cyber incidents, or natural disasters. Backup data is stored securely and retained only as long as necessary for recovery purposes.
- Marketing: Gathering and analyzing client engagement, preferences, and behavioral trends to promote services, programs, and resources effectively.
- Optimizing Digital Services and Digital User Experience: Collecting web data helps the department understand how visitors interact with online resources.
- Program Registration or Enrollment: Some programs require enrollment, registration, or application.
We aggregate your data with the data of others for the following reasons. You cannot be identified individually when data is aggregated.
- Accessibility Services: Usage data from assistive technologies may be reviewed to improve accessibility support.
- Data Sharing for Research and Evaluation: In limited cases, anonymized or aggregated data may be shared with approved partners to support research, strategic planning, or evaluation efforts aligned with the department's mission.
- Operational Efficiency: Data helps optimize public health services and operations, including staffing and resource allocation.
- Program Evaluation and Development: Aggregate patient, applicant, and client data help the department assess the success of programs and guide the allocation of future resources.
- Resource Planning and Budgeting: Data helps justify funding requests and allocate resources effectively based on actual usage trends.
- Surveys and Suggestions: Data that is provided voluntarily through surveys or suggestion forms is analyzed to improve services and operations. We do not collect personal data in these instances.