Many Yukoners have some type of access to extended health benefits through their employer, with benefits that cover services such as prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, physiotherapy, optometry, and necessary medical equipment. However, not everyone has access to these benefits, which can make it difficult to afford these services. Without these basic health services Yukoners can have poor health outcomes, including pain, poor nutrition, increased risk for certain chronic diseases, as well as poorer quality of life. Unemployment, temporary employment and low wage employment situations are often associated with lack of benefits. People who do not have these benefits through their employer are also the least likely to be able to afford paying out-of-pocket for these services.
The Government of Yukon (YG) has committed to provide dental and other extended health benefits to uninsured Yukoners as per the 2021 Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) and the Putting People First report. The new dental program is a policy-based program for the uninsured, low-income individuals. The public dental plan focuses on the relief of pain and infection, prevention of disease, and restoration of chewing and/or social function.
YG will begin to close the gaps experienced by low-income Yukoners who do not have access to extended benefits by implementing these comprehensive extended health benefits. The new publicly funded dental program will use a payer-of-last resort model and be income-tested. This plan will not apply to Yukoners who already have insurance.
Yukon Dental Program
Microsoft 365 Cloud Services - HSS
The Government of Yukon ("YG") has purchased Microsoft E3 licensing and has implemented the Microsoft 365 suite of cloud services (M365) across the government departments, including Health and Social Services ("HSS"). HPW will manage M365 on behalf of HSS and other YG departments. M365 offers state-of-the-art information technology services which will enable YG to achieve better outcomes, while lowering the overall cost and complexity of YG's IT services. In addition, MS holds the highest levels of industry-level certifications with regards to information security: ISO 27001 and 270018, FedRAMP, SOC 1 and 2 and Cloud Security Alliance's STAR Certification.
Microsoft provides all the infrastructure, including all the applications, operating system, cloud management, and network software, including the server and storage hardware elements required to support these software components. Microsoft has no standing access to the service components that YG is responsible for, namely, applications configurations, and all applications data in their cloud SaaS solution. MS only interacts with customer data under exceptional circumstances for the purpose of providing support services when a problem cannot be self-remedied by the customer's own IT or inhouse support teams.
This PIA will focus on HSS' use of the M365 products, as managed on their behalf by the HPW. It is a companion PIA that will focus exclusively on the privacy considerations related to HSS' use of these HPW managed applications. HPW has conducted a full PIA, which should be read in conjunction with this companion PIA for a fulsome understanding of the product(s).
Shiftboard Scheduling System
The Yukon Government Department of Health and Social Services and Department of Justice have determined a shared need for improved efficiency within their shift scheduling and shift call-out processes. Shiftboard is a shift management system which allows Staff Users to manage their shifts via a web or mobile interface. Each program area within a department will be siloed, and only available to users employed within that program area. This system will be used for the managing of YG staff shift and schedule management only, and will not include client records or information, or sensitive HR information of the YG staff.
Mobile Crisis Unit
The Health and Social Services’ (HSS) Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services (MWSU) is collaborating with the Yukon Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) to form a Mobile Crisis Unit in Whitehorse that will increase support to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
A 911 call can be dispatched to the Mobile Crisis Unit (or “MCU”) when it relates to a mental health issue or suicide risk. A Mobile Crisis Unit is comprised of a Mental Health Clinician from MWSU (“the Clinician”) and a Yukon RCMP officer, who travel to the place where the individual is located to provide them with immediate support.
It is worth noting that the Mobile Crisis Unit will operate during specific hours only. Indeed, although Yukon RCMP are available 24/7, the Mobile Crisis Unit will have limited hours that reflect the highest volume of mental health calls.
HSS Infolinx
Infolinx is a records and information management software that enables the Yukon Government (“YG”) to track, manage, and audit the complete lifecycle of physical records. The software was initially implemented within YG in 2018 to replace an older file-level physical records management system. The Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”) initiated use of the Infolinx software in February, 2022. Pervious privacy work has been conducted on the Infolinx system, including an HPW Privacy Impact Assessment (“PIA”) which was completed in March 2021.
This HSS PIA will serve as a companion to the original HPW Infolinx PIA (2021) and highlight any differences or changes in the use of the Infolinx software within HSS, specifically to reference HIPMA as the legislative authority for the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Health Information (“PHI”), and update the legal authority table for collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information (PI) so it aligns with recent changes to the ATIPP Act.
Yukon Panorama
This Privacy Impact Assessment (“PIA”) was conducted on behalf of the Yukon Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”) on the current standing of the Panorama system. Panorama is a web-based public health information management tool that provides authorized public health users with the ability to collect, share and analyze a wide range of public health information that is critical for addressing public health problems. Panorama supports public health programs such as immunization, and communicable disease, outbreak management, inventory and family health. Panorama is a point-of-service system accessed by the service providers who deliver these services, conduct health surveillance activities, such as the monitoring of infectious diseases, and perform program evaluation within British Columbia (BC) and Yukon.
Panorama is organized as seven major functional components:
• Communicable disease investigation management,
• Outbreak management,
• Immunization management,
• Materials / Vaccine Inventory management,
• Notifications management,
• Work management, and
• Family Health management.
Homeless Individuals and Families Information System "HIFIS"
The Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (“HIFIS”) is a case management system designed to better understand the needs, resources, and required supports for the community. HIFIS is provided and developed by the Canadian Federal Government, Employment and Social Development Canada (“ESDC”), for use by governments and non-profits within Canada to aid in their support of the homeless and precariously housed populations.
The Yukon has determined that use of the HIFIS system by the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter (“WES”), would be beneficial to both case workers and individuals. As such, The Government of Yukon has entered into an agreement with ESDC and has been granted a license for use of the HIFIS system. The Agreement can be found at Appendix 6. At this time, HIFIS will be used exclusively by the WES, as managed and run by the Government of Yukon, Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”).
HSS will host its own instance of the HIFIS system on the YG Servers, located in Whitehorse. Currently, WES uses the HIFIS system exclusively for registration and bed allocation. It is the intention of the WES to gradually increase their use of the other client and information management functionalities of HIFIS for case management and to enhance to provision of care provided to clients.
Coordinated Access
In response to the growing need for supports for Clients experiencing homelessness, the Yukon Government (“YG”) Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”) is participating in the Coordinated Access program (“CA”). CA is a standardized approach to assessing a homeless Client or family’s needs and providing the services and supports they may require to achieve housing stability. The CA program is
funded in part by the Canadian Federal Government through the Reaching Home program. All organizations, non-profits, governments, and societies that receive funding through the Reaching Home program are required to participate in the CA program and are required to be a member of the Coordinated Housing Access Team (“CHAT”) and participate in the CHAT Table. The CA program streamlines access to housing and supports for homeless Clients and families, through a “no wrong door” model of care. Clients in need of housing can present at any CA Partner Agency and can begin the intake process to receive services or supports. In most cases, the Client will be a client of the CA Partner Agency with whom they completed their consent for the By-Name-List (“BNL”).
The CA program in Yukon is overseen by Safe at Home (“SAH”), a Society under the Yukon Societies Act. YG HSS does not oversee or manage the CA program but is a participant. SAH manages the BNL, which is a key component of the CA Program. The BNL is a centralized list of Clients in need of housing within the Yukon. Clients who have consented to being placed on the BNL will have their cases discussed at the CHAT Table, with the goal of finding the best housing option for their specific situation. Placement on the BNL is contingent on the Client completing the Vulnerability Index - Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (“VI-SPDAT”). The VI-SPDAT is a triage tool that helps identify who should be recommended for each housing and support intervention, and the urgency of their needs.
Participating HSS program areas conduct the VI-SPDAT with their clients only and communicates the result (the VI-SPDAT number) to Safe at Home for placement on the BNL. HSS areas can be referral sites, which includes the completion of the VI-SPDAT. HSS does not share the responses provided by the Client or a copy of the VI-SPDAT questionnaire outside of the Department. If the other Partner Agencies want their Client to complete a VI-SPDAT assessment they will forward the request to Safe At Home to complete with the Client.
Currently, there is no electronic information system related to the CA Program, however, SAH is planning to utilize the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS). HIFIS is a federally provided client information management system. It should be noted that though the program is funded by the federal government, and they have provided guidance and obligations to the receiving organization, there is no transfer of personally identifiable data to the federal government for the purposes of the Coordinated Access program. SAH will have to meet the management information system’s stringent privacy and security protections. Data sharing is contingent upon written client consent, and must comply with local, provincial, and federal legal requirements.
Sexualized Assault Response Team (SART)
In 2020, the Yukon Government, in collaboration with several community agencies who provide services to victims of sexualized assault, launched the Sexualized Assault Response Team (“SART”). The Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”) is one of seven SART agencies committed to providing a coordinated and collaborative response for all individuals victimized by sexualized violence and to
support them moving forward along whichever path of services they choose.
While the community agencies are involved in the governance and management of SART through a number of committees including the SART Implementation Committee, the SART Oversight Committee, and the SART Protocol and Training Management Committee, these committees are not involved in the day-to-day operations, data collection, or working with the individual unless that individual has consented to be referred to that agency or they choose to access those agencies on their own. The key agencies that make up SART are: Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”); Department of Justice; the Women and Gender Equity Directorate; the Women’s Transition Home; RCMP – M Division; Yukon Hospital Corporation; and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
Within HSS, the launch of the Yukon SART in 2020 saw the formation of a specific SART program unit within the broader Community Health Programs branch. This included the establishment of an individual’s forensic record associated with a sexualized assault being kept independent from their personal medical/health record for the protection of the individual’s privacy. The SART Clinical Coordinator role within HSS Community Health Programs includes retaining the individual's forensic record separate from their health record at Whitehorse General Hospital, providing system navigation services to individuals, facilitating collection and disclosure of the individual's forensic record across participating organizations based on the individual's consent (e.g., to the RCMP), and responsible for the overall clinical operations of the SART.
Eligibility Process for Seniors Supportive Social Housing
Yukon Housing Corporation and Health and Social Services (HSS) are working together to implement a new housing service program for
seniors who are eligible for social housing and who would benefit from non-professional supportive services to remain living independently
in the community.