Finney County Health Department warns residents of scam
(Courtesy of the Finney County Health Department)
FINNEY COUNTY, Kan. – The Finney County Health Department recently discovered that someone is making prank phone calls using our Department’s phone number on the caller ID. The call consists of a recording ‘informing’ area residents that they’ve been identified as possibly having a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or as having contact with someone who has an STD. These calls did not come from the Finney County Health Department.
Here are some tips to verify whether the Health Department is actually attempting to contact you regarding your protected health information or any visits to our facility:
1. We will never send you a recording to relay this type of sensitive information.
2. Our staff will always identify themselves by name and leave a voicemail if they have missed you, asking you to return their phone call. Our staff will not discuss any protected health information in a voicemail.
3. If you have visited the Health Department for any type of STD-related reason, we will ask you for your password/code to discuss any of your protected health information over the phone.
4. When screening for STDs, we ask the patients to give us contact information for anyone they may have had sexual relations with in the last 2-3 months. If the patient is positive, we will then make phone calls to the identified contacts, urging them to come to the Health Department for screening and/or treatment. We will never reveal the identity of the person that named them as a contact.
If you receive any phone call that may seem suspicious, please contact our office at (620) 272-3600. Our staff can verify whether we have attempted to contact you.
As always, your privacy is a top priority for Finney County and we assure you that your medical information remains confidential and secure in our department.
If you believe you need STD screening, you may walk-in to the Health Department between MondayThursday, anytime between 7am-5pm.
