Health Care and Wellness Advocacy ("HEAL," "we," "our," or "us") is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing health literacy, advocacy, and inclusive leadership. We respect the privacy of every visitor, supporter, and program participant. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you interact with our website at heal-institute.com, how we use that information, and the choices you have about it.
We collect information in two primary ways: information you provide to us directly, and information collected automatically when you visit our website.
You may choose to share personal information when you contact us, sign up for updates, inquire about a program, make a donation, or otherwise communicate with HEAL. This may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, organizational affiliation, professional credentials, and any other details you choose to share in the body of a message.
When you visit our website, our hosting provider and any analytics tools we use may automatically collect limited technical information, including your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, and the date and time of your visit. This information helps us understand site usage and improve the experience for visitors.
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
HEAL does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to recognize returning visitors and gather usage information. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some aspects of how the site works, but you can still access the core content.
Our commitment to donors. HEAL respects the privacy of every supporter. Donor information is used only for purposes related to the donation itself — acknowledgment, tax documentation, and ongoing communication about HEAL's mission and impact. We will never sell or trade donor lists. Donors may opt out of any HEAL communications at any time by contacting us at the email address below.
Our website and programs are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to safeguard the information we collect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. No method of transmission over the internet is fully secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. We encourage visitors to take their own precautions when sharing personal information online.
You have meaningful choices about your information:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address provided below.
Our website may link to external sites we believe are relevant to our mission, including the personal site of our founder, Mary Lacyk, at marylacyk.com. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites, and we encourage you to review the privacy policies of any site you visit.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our handling of your information, we welcome you to reach out.