A former Lamont Health Care Centre employee pleaded guilty on Friday, December 9 to knowingly disclosing health information in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA).
Kathryn Starzynski admitted to taking photos in August 2019 of three long-term care residents at the Lamont Health Care Centre in Lamont, Alberta. She applied a bug-eye filter to alter the image of one of the residents. She disclosed the altered photo to a colleague and shared the other two photos on one of her social media accounts.
Ms. Starzynski received a conditional discharge and was placed on probation with conditions for the next 12 months, including advising any potential employer about the conviction if the prospective employment involves accessing health information. She was also sentenced to 30 hours of community service.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) opened an offence investigation into Ms. Starzynski’s actions in May 2020 after the Lamont Health Care Centre reported its findings to the OIPC. Charges were laid in July 2021.
It is an offence under HIA to knowingly disclose health information in contravention of the Act (section 107(2)(a)).
Contact
Scott Sibbald
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner