A Calgary family is looking for answers after receiving mail from Alberta Health Services addressed to their daughter, but containing another person’s medical information.
Julie Gielau was referred by her doctor’s office to take her daughter, Brynn Kemble, to a pediatric gastroenterology (GI) clinic to test if she had celiac disease.
When they went to the GI clinic, Gielau was told they would receive the needed information, including date of appointment and location, by mail. When they received the mail, it was addressed to Brynn Kemble, but once Gielau opened the letter, she noticed something strange.
“It was a completely different child’s information,” Gielau said, “which included all of their health information — plus it was at a different hospital. We’re at the GI clinic at South Health campus. The other child is supposed to go to the GI clinic at the children’s hospital. It’s not even the same building.”
Included in the letter was the name of the person, their date of birth, phone number, health-care number, and date of their scheduled appointment.
The first thing Gielau thought was, “Who has my daughter’s information?”
She contacted her clinic right away.
“All of her information is sitting in the hands of someone else,” Gielau said.
Gielau wants to make sure that this does not happen to another family and that her daughter’s information is retrieved.
“They’ll send me a new form, but that doesn’t help the situation that someone else has my daughter’s information still.”
AHS was unaware of the issue at the time and has now placed AHS’ information and privacy office to investigate the problem.
“That is paramount at the moment.”
AHS did not provide further details on the case.
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