Please read this agreement entirely and carefully before using Carilion’s website. By accessing, browsing and/or otherwise using this website (“Site”), you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy (which shall be considered part of these terms of access and use), and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. You are invited to check this Site from time to time, as this information is updated on a periodic basis. If you breach any of these terms and conditions, your authorization to use this Site automatically terminates.

Medical Information

This Site is not designed to, and does not, provide medical advice. All content, including, without limitation, text, pictures, graphics and other files available on or through this Site are for general informational purposes only. This Site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Do not disregard professional medical advice, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Site. Do not rely on information on this Site in place of seeking professional medical advice. You are encouraged to confer with your doctor with regard to information contained on or obtained through this Site. The use of this Site does not create a healthcare provider - patient relationship and does not obligate Carilion to followup or contact users of the Site.

Applicable Laws

We protect our records in accordance with our obligations as defined by applicable Virginia statutes, including, but not limited to, the Virginia Privacy Protection Act of 1976, the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, and by any applicable U.S. federal laws. By posting any comments, posts or other material on our sponsored blogs and social media sites, you give Carilion Clinic irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works from, and otherwise use your submission for any purpose in any form and on any media.

You also agree that you will not:

1. Access or attempt to access other areas of the Carilion systems or other information contained on the system.
2. Use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Site.
3. Post material that infringes on the rights of any third party, including intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights.
4. Post material that is unlawful; obscene; defamatory; threatening; harassing; abusive; slanderous; racially, ethically or sexually hateful or offensive; or embarrassing to any other person or entity as determined by Carilion at its sole discretion.
5. Post advertisements or solicitations of business.
6. Post chain letters or pyramid schemes.
7. Impersonate another person.
8. Allow any other person or entity to use your identification for posting or viewing comments.
9. Post the same note more than once or "spam."

Carilion reserves the right (but is not obligated) to do any or all of the following:

1. Remove communications that are abusive, illegal or disruptive, or that otherwise fail to conform to these Terms and Conditions.
2. Terminate a user's access to the blog feature upon any breach of these Terms and Conditions.
3. Edit or delete any communications posted on the blog or social media feature, regardless of whether such communications violate these standards.

Finally, you agree that you will indemnify Carilion Clinic against any fines, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs) arising out of a claim by a third party relating to any material you have posted.

WARRANTY DISCLAIMER

CARILION CLINIC MAKES NO WARRANTY WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY AS TO ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR TIMELINESS, CONCERNING THE INFORMATION OR VIEWS AVAILABLE AT OR THROUGH THIS SITE, AND YOU SHOULD NOT ASSUME THAT SUCH INFORMATION IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE OR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION AVAILABLE. CARILION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE IN ANY WAY FOR ANY LOSS, CLAIM OR DAMAGES CAUSED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY CARILION PROVIDING OR YOU USING ANY OF THE INFORMATION AT OR THROUGH THIS SITE.

CARILION DOES NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE OPERATION OF THIS SITE, THE USE, VALIDITY, ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF, OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE MATERIALS ON THIS SITE OR ANY OTHER SITES LINKED TO THIS SITE. CARILION DOES NOT AND CANNOT GUARANTEE OR WARRANT THAT THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOADING FROM THIS SITE, IF ANY, WILL BE FREE FROM INFECTION, VIRUSES, WORMS, TROJAN HORSES, OR OTHER CODE THAT MANIFEST CONTAMINATING OR DESTRUCTIVE PROPERTIES. CARILION DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS SITE, SOFTWARE, MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OR THAT ANY DEFECTS IN THIS SITE, SOFTWARE, MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED.

Liability Limitations

You understand and agree that because the Carilion Clinic Site services are available free of charge to you, Carilion will not be liable to you for any damages you may incur resulting from your use of the Site or any other websites whose links are on CarilionClinic.org. Your use of the Site and third party websites is solely at your own risk.

Copyrights and Trademarks

All trademark, logo or copyrighted material contained within these pages is the sole property of Carilion Clinic. Any reproduction or redistribution of this material beyond personal use is prohibited without the express written consent of Carilion Clinic. Any reproduction of text, images, graphics, sound files, animation files, or video files appearing on these pages beyond personal use is strictly prohibited, unless prior written authorization is obtained from Carilion Clinic.

Hyperlinks and Links to Other Web Sites

You are granted a limited, nonexclusive right to create a “hypertext” link to this Site provided that such link is to the entry page of this Site and does not portray Carilion or any of its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. This limited right may be revoked at any time for any reason. You may not use framing techniques to enclose any Carilion trademark, logo or trade name or other proprietary information including the images found at the Site, the content of any text or the layout/design of any page or any form contained on a page without Carilion’s express written consent.

The CarilionClinic.org Site includes electronic links over the Internet to various websites run by third parties, such as other health information providers, partners, and sponsors. These links are available at your option for your convenience to allow you to further expand your health care information.

Carilion attempts to select third parties that are good sources of additional information and are reputable, however Carilion does not endorse them. Please note that your use of other websites is at your own risk.

Cookies and Other Technologies

Cookies are a technology used by Carilion to store information on your device to help identify you as you navigate through the Site. We may use cookies to personalize your experience on our Sites and to track your usage across other websites we own. Your browser typically allows us to place this information on your device, but you can manage or block cookies through your browser settings. However, if you refuse the use of cookies, you may not be able to use all features on the Site. By using the Site, you consent to the storing and accessing of cookies or other information on your device, and to the processing of data about you in the manner and for the purposes set out below. 

Your browser or device may include "Do Not Track" (DNT) functionality.  There currently is no industry or legal standard for recognizing or honoring DNT requests, and Carilion does not respond to them at this time. If you select this feature, Carilion will continue to use cookies and other tracking technologies to provide you the features of the Site.

Carilion also uses tracking pixels, or tags, which are small transparent images embedded on a webpage that trigger a server request when specific events occur on the page. This request can result in a record of the event, which may be stored in a cookie on your device. We use tracking pixels to monitor when you interact with certain applications or features on our Site, and use that information to assess which are the most appealing to users. 

Social Media

Information posted on our social media pages by us, our fans, or anyone else should not be considered medical advice.  The fact that someone has posted information on one or more of our social media pages does not mean that we have evaluated it or that we endorse and recommend it.

Feedback

If you have comments or suggestions, please contact us at: direct@carilionclinic.org or 800-422-8482.