Privacy
Policy

1. Our approach and scope

Gulf Coast Connection Services LLC respects the privacy of residents, families, facility teams, students, sponsors, customers, and website visitors. GCCS limits collection to information reasonably needed to respond, verify authority, coordinate or provide a requested service, process a payment, administer an approved program, or meet legal and recordkeeping responsibilities.

Gulf Coast Connection Services (GCCS) provides non-clinical communication and everyday technology support. GCCS does not provide medical care, nursing care, clinical advice, emergency services, or medical-device management. Public forms are limited to the minimum scheduling, authorization, and service-coordination information requested. Resident-identifiable coordination information may constitute Protected Health Information when GCCS handles it for a covered entity; when applicable, that information may be handled only under the parties’ written agreement and a Business Associate Agreement when required.

This policy is a general website and business privacy notice. It is not a healthcare provider's HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices and does not replace a participating facility's privacy notice, a service agreement, or a Business Associate Agreement.

2. Information you choose to provide

Email service requests and contact inquiries may include names, contact details, relationship or facility role, participating community or city, requested service, preferred timing, and limited scheduling or accessibility information. GCCS may request a private service address later through direct coordination when it is needed to review the service area, travel time, safety, or an additional travel fee.

Online paperwork may include signer identity and contact details, signer role or authority, facility and resident identity, selected non-clinical services, approved contacts, scheduling details, facility locations and operational contacts, accessibility preferences stated without diagnosis, required acknowledgments, media-permission selections, and an electronic signature.

Volunteer applications may include name, email, phone number, date of birth, age screening response, educational institution, school type, field of study, volunteer purpose, required hours, target completion date, region preferences, availability, and required attestations. When an applicant is under 18, GCCS may also collect a parent or legal guardian's name, phone number, email address, permission choice, optional photo and media selection, electronic-signature attestations, and typed signature.

Minimum necessary information only. Do not enter or upload medical records, diagnoses, treatment details, medications, medical-record numbers, insurance records or cards, Social Security numbers, government identification images, clinical notes, portal credentials, passwords, verification codes, payment-card information, or other unnecessary sensitive information. If a participating facility must transmit additional protected information, use only the facility-approved secure channel established in the parties’ written agreement.

3. Payment processing and Stripe

Online payments are processed through Stripe-hosted checkout. Stripe, not GCCS, collects and processes the payment-card or bank-account number, security code, billing address, and other information needed to authorize the transaction. Stripe handles that information under the Stripe Privacy Policy.

GCCS may receive and retain the payer's name, email address, business name when supplied, payment amount and currency, payment status, transaction and customer identifiers, payment date, limited payment-method details such as card brand and last four digits, and fraud or dispute information made available by Stripe. GCCS does not receive the full card number or security code.

Do not place a resident's name, date of birth, room or unit number, diagnosis, treatment information, or other medical or care information in a Stripe payment field. When a payment must be matched to a service, use the GCCS invoice, request, or agreement reference supplied for that purpose.

4. Community Support and sponsorship records

A Community Support payment is a flexible, one-time payment that helps fund GCCS service hours and adaptive equipment. A Community Sponsorship is a separate arrangement that may include a defined sponsorship level, recurring billing, and agreed business recognition.

For Community Support, GCCS generally retains only the payment record and contact information provided at checkout. For a sponsorship, GCCS may also collect the sponsor's organization name, representative, logo, website, recognition preferences, sponsorship level, and related communications. GCCS is a for-profit limited liability company. These payments are non-charitable and are not represented by GCCS as tax-deductible donations.

5. Email and service requests

Public service requests begin by email rather than through an online booking form. Email is handled through GCCS's Google Workspace account and may be retained for review, scheduling, confirmation, follow-up, and business recordkeeping.

Send only the minimum information needed to begin coordination: your name, preferred contact method, facility or city, requested service, and preferred timing. Do not email resident-identifying information, medical records, diagnoses, insurance documents, passwords, verification codes, or a private street address unless GCCS provides an approved reason and method for doing so.

Sending an email request does not confirm an appointment, authorize entry into a facility or private residence, create a service obligation, or collect payment. GCCS confirms final details directly.

The existing request-status tool remains available for older requests, paperwork, and volunteer applications that already have a GCCS reference. New email requests may not receive an online status reference.

6. Student volunteer applications

Applications are stored in GCCS's protected application system and reviewed only for program administration, screening, scheduling, orientation, school-hour verification, and facility placement. GCCS may share necessary application information with an educational institution, screening provider, or participating facility when authorized or required for placement.

For an applicant under 18, the dedicated Parental/Guardian Permission & Liability Release is stored as a separate, versioned electronic record and must be linked to the student's application reference. GCCS retains the guardian's selections, acknowledgments, typed signature, submission time, and the full agreement text presented at signing so that authorization can be verified before onboarding.

Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance, placement, academic credit, internship credit, clinical observation, or a particular number of hours.

7. Online paperwork and electronic signatures

The online paperwork center generates a facility or resident packet from the client's selected role and services. Submitted packets are stored in GCCS’s protected paperwork system for authority review, countersignature when applicable, service administration, documentation, and follow-up.

The public workflow does not accept uploads. It requests only the identity, contact, authorization, scheduling, accessibility-preference, and operational information shown in the form. A typed signature, UTC submission time, Central Time business date, packet version, presented agreement snapshot, required acknowledgments, and confirmation number are retained with the electronic record.

8. Resident media and visual content permissions

GCCS will not use a resident's photograph, video, or voice for website, social-media, print-marketing, promotional, or training purposes without an affirmative written or electronic permission that identifies the approved uses. Declining media permission does not affect eligibility for GCCS services.

When permission is granted, GCCS will not attach or publish the resident's full name, date of birth, facility room or unit number, medical details, or other unnecessary identifying information with the media. A person's face, image, or voice may still permit recognition, so GCCS does not represent visible or audible media as anonymous solely because names and health details are omitted.

A resident or legally authorized representative may withdraw permission for future use by contacting GCCS. Withdrawal does not affect uses made before GCCS receives and processes the request, and GCCS may not be able to retrieve material already printed, distributed, reposted, archived, or lawfully used by a third party.

If a representative signs, GCCS may require verification of that person's authority through a separately approved secure process. Do not upload or email guardianship, power-of-attorney, medical, or identity documents through a public GCCS form unless GCCS or the participating facility provides a specifically approved secure channel. When media is created or maintained on behalf of a covered entity and contains Protected Health Information, the facility's authorization requirements, written service agreement, and Business Associate Agreement control.

9. Facility programs and HIPAA-regulated information

Resident-identifiable coordination information may constitute Protected Health Information when created, received, maintained, or transmitted on behalf of a covered entity. When a service relationship requires GCCS to handle such information as a business associate, the applicable service agreement and Business Associate Agreement must be executed before that activity begins. The public website and a consumer media release are not substitutes for those agreements or a covered entity's required authorization.

10. Sharing and service providers

GCCS does not sell personal information. Information may be shared with a participating facility, educational institution, screening provider, payment processor, or authorized service provider such as the website host, Stripe, or Google Workspace when needed to process a transaction, coordinate the requested activity, comply with law, protect safety, prevent fraud, or meet contractual responsibilities.

GCCS does not permit a service provider to use resident-identifiable information for its own unrelated marketing. When a provider will handle Protected Health Information on GCCS's behalf, GCCS uses the written safeguards and Business Associate Agreement required for that relationship when applicable.

11. Security and retention

GCCS uses HTTPS transport, owner access controls, server-side authorization checks, submission limits, and other reasonable administrative and technical safeguards appropriate to its role. No online transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Email service requests and applications that do not result in an ongoing relationship are generally retained for no longer than 12 months. Accepted-volunteer, service, screening, and verified-hours records may be retained longer when reasonably necessary for safety, school verification, facility requirements, insurance, contracts, or law.

Electronically signed agreements, consents, authorizations, media permissions, and related audit records may be retained for the active relationship and afterward as reasonably necessary for contract administration, insurance, dispute resolution, facility requirements, recordkeeping duties, or law.

Payment, refund, sponsorship, tax, accounting, and dispute records may be retained for the period reasonably necessary to meet financial, contractual, fraud-prevention, and legal obligations. GCCS does not store full payment-card numbers or card security codes.

Owner workflow updates may retain decision status, confirmed scheduling, a connection link for direct delivery, internal minimum-necessary notes, client correspondence prepared through the owner workspace, and an audit history showing when a record was updated.

12. Website data

The hosting platform and essential technical services may process basic device, browser, security, IP-address, and request information needed to deliver and protect the website. GCCS uses anti-spam controls and submission limits to protect its forms. Stripe may use cookies or similar technologies on its hosted checkout pages under its own policy.

13. Applicants under 18

The online volunteer application is limited to applicants age 14 or older. Applicants ages 14 through 17 must have a parent or legal guardian electronically execute the current GCCS Parental/Guardian Permission & Liability Release linked to the student's application before onboarding or placement. Additional school, facility, supervision, and screening requirements may apply. Children under 14 must not submit the application.

14. Access, correction, choices, and contact

To request access to, correction of, or deletion of information submitted directly to GCCS, or to withdraw a media permission for future use, contact GCCS using the details below. GCCS may retain information when reasonably necessary for payments, contracts, insurance, safety, dispute resolution, facility requirements, or law and may need to verify the requester's identity and authority before acting.

Questions or requests concerning this policy may be sent to info@gulfcoastconnectionservices.com or discussed by calling 228-313-6288.