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.

Collection of Information and How Your Information is Used

Our system routinely collects anonymous information about the origin and site navigation of website visitors. This information is used to assist us in determining use patterns for Site functions, visitor preferences, and determining future website enhancements. We do not acquire or link any personal data on visitors unless that information is submitted as part of a request for service or information, such as requesting our community newsletter or registering for an event. When you provide personal information, we will only use it for the purpose stated. Carilion Clinic does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information to third parties for non-Carilion use.

Carilion reserves the right to store and use any information you voluntarily provide for marketing and communications specific to Carilion without additional notice. However, Carilion will make every effort to get your permission ("opt-in") for Carilion to contact you in the future. You will also have the option of requesting that Carilion not contact you ("opt-out").

Cookies and Other Technologies

Cookies are a technology used by Carilion to identify a user as the user moves through the Site. Your browser may or may not allow us to place some information on your computer’s hard drive that identifies the computer that you are using. We may use cookies to personalize our Sites and to track your usage across all of our websites.

Although cookies do not normally contain personally identifiable information, if you are a registered user we may associate your registration information with cookies our Site places on your computer's hard drive. Associating a cookie with your registration data allows us to offer increased personalization and functionality.

Carilion may also collect non-personally identifiable information through the use of tracking pixels. A tracking pixel, or tag, is a transparent graphic image that is placed on a webpage and is triggered when a particular event occurs on the webpage. After the event occurs, the tracking pixel generates a record of that event in the form of a cookie. We use tracking pixels to track when you click on certain applications or features on our Site, and use that information to determine which applications and features are more appealing to users. In some cases we use third-party service providers, such as Google. Inc., to help us collect and analyze this information.

Carilion also uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics collects and analyzes certain types of information, including cookies, IP addresses, onsite behavior, usage and purchase information and other similar information, to help Carilion understand how users use the Site. For more information about how Google, Inc. uses your data, go to www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.

You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. However, if you do this, 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 hard drive, and to the processing of data about you by Google, Inc. in the manner and for the purposes set out above. For more information about Google’s privacy practices, go to www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Privacy and Security

Individuals' privacy is important to Carilion Clinic. Our privacy and public records obligations are governed solely 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.

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic and administrative procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online, consistent with the policies of Carilion Clinic.

Your Responsibility

You agree not to use this service for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by this agreement. Carilion reserves the right to deny access to any part of this service at its sole discretion. You are personally responsible for the material that you send.

Our Responsibility

All of our staff must abide by our Information Security and Privacy Policy and those who violate it are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Carilion will store your Personal Information in databases for a reasonable time period to ensure that the information remains current. We will update our database periodically and will purge your Personal Information when we believe it is no longer valid or current.

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 our Site does not mean that we have evaluated it or that we endorse or recommend it.

Feedback

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