Terms of Website Use

This page describes the terms and conditions of use of this website by you, the website viewer, and your rights and responsibilities as a user. Please read this page carefully. By using this Website, you agree to be bound by all of the Terms and Conditions set forth below. Empath Health, a Florida not-for-profit organization, as the owner of this Website, may revise these Terms and Conditions at any time without notice; therefore, you should visit this page periodically to review the Terms and Conditions. You agree that by entering, re-entering, or continuing to use the website thereafter, you accept all changes that may have been made to the Terms and Conditions.

Use of Site Material
No portion of this website can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise for any other purposes. The contents of this Website, including, without limitation, text, graphics, images and other content (the “Content”) are owned by or licensed to Empath Health and are protected by copyright under both United States and foreign laws. Unauthorized use of the Content violates copyright, trademark and other laws. All trademarks, service marks, trade names and logos appearing on the site are the property of Empath Health or its licensors and may not be used without permission. You agree to retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the original Content on any copy you make of such material. You may not sell or modify our Content or reproduce, display or otherwise use the Content in any way for any public or commercial purpose. 

Services Provided
Information available to the general public on or through this Website is not intended and should not be interpreted as medical advice and is not offered as an alternative to medical referral. This website does not and is not intended to create a physician-patient relationship, and should not be used as a substitute to seeking consultation from qualified medical professionals. ALL EMERGENCIES SHOULD BE HANDLED BY CONTACTING YOUR DOCTOR OR CALLING 911 IMMEDIATELY.

All Content provided to the general public on this website is intended solely for your educational, personal and non-commercial use and is strictly informational. As a condition of your use of this website, you warrant that you will not use the website for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms and Conditions.

Certain encrypted, password-protected areas of  may provide specific medical information. In these special cases the recipients will be limited to qualified medical personnel, or the participating users will have received additional information regarding the use of such information before being granted access. 

 User Rights
As a user of SuncoastHospice.org, you have the right to view all publicly-accessible information anonymously. You also have the right to prevent any of your identifying information from being included on the publicly-accessible areas of the site. In those areas of the site reserved for direct contact between medical staff, Empath Health reserves the right to archive such communications in a secure format.

Links
This site contains links to websites owned by third parties, which may appear in association with child health promotion information. The listing of a child health promotion resource or link and its associated information on this website is not intended as an endorsement, recommendation, or referral by Empath Health or any of its operating divisions. These links and resources are provided solely as a convenience to you. Empath Health is not responsible for the content of any linked websites or a child health promotion resource and makes no representations regarding the content or accuracy of materials on such sites or resource. If you decide to visit any third-party websites using links from this site, you do so at your own risk. Health professionals, parents, guardians and all users of this site are encouraged to assess independently, whether information or resources found on or through this website will meet the needs of the user. 

Response Times
In those areas of the site where communication is offered between a user and a member of the Empath Health staff, no guarantee is provided for the timeliness of the response. We strongly urge that you never include sensitive information in email or web-based forms that do not provide for a high level (128-bit) of encryption. 

Outside Interests
SuncoastHospice.org is a service provided solely by Empath Health. There are no investors or partners with a financial interest in the information being provided on SuncoastHospice.org. Legal questions regarding SuncoastHospice.org,

Empath Health or any of the information provided here can be forwarded to the following address:

Empath Health
5771 Roosevelt Blvd
Clearwater, FL 33760

Additional information regarding Empath Health can be located on EmpathHealth.org.

Empath Health Conflict of Interest Policy

Empath Health is committed to ethical behavior and full compliance with applicable laws and regulations in the conduct of its business and research activities. The Empath Health Conflict of Interest (COI) policy assists in identifying the most common situations that create conflicts of interest; clarifies what activities are permitted and those that should be avoided; provides disclosure requirements; and establishes processes for addressing conflicts of interest.

The Empath Health COI policy is publicly accessible on EmpathHealth.org. COI policy access signifies that Empath Health applies for and receives Public Health Service (PHS) funding from grants or cooperative agreements, and is in full compliance with the 2011 revised regulation, 42 CFR Part 50 and 45 CFR Part 94, Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which PHS funding is Sought and Responsible Prospective Contractors; Final Rule. The purpose of this regulation is to promote objectivity in research by establishing standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the design, conduct and reporting of research performed under PHS contracts will be free from bias resulting from Investigator financial conflicts of interest. 

Promotional Policy
EmpathHealth.org does not use any personal-identifiable information (full names or email addresses) gathered from site users to promote the goods and services of Empath Health or any business partners.  

Information from Health Professionals
All substantive content for EmpathHealth.org is written by employees or agents of Empath Health. In those cases where medical content is provided, it has been written by staff, who would be qualified to give the same medical information in a clinical setting. These qualifications are verified during the hiring process.

Limitations
SuncoastHospice.org is presented for use by the general public without warranty. No guarantee is provided as to the timeliness or accuracy of any information provided on the site. EmpathHealth.org is not to be used in any way as a substitute for contact with qualified medical professionals.