§ 122C-52. Right to confidentiality. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 122C‑52.  Right toconfidentiality.

(a)        Except as providedin G.S. 132‑5 and G.S. 122C‑31(h), confidential informationacquired in attending or treating a client is not a public record under Chapter132 of the General Statutes.

(b)        Except asauthorized by G.S. 122C‑53 through G.S. 122C‑56, no individualhaving access to confidential information may disclose this information.

(c)        Except as providedby G.S. 122C‑53 through G.S. 122C‑56, each client has the rightthat no confidential information acquired be disclosed by the facility.

(d)        No provision ofG.S. 122C‑205 and G.S. 122C‑53 through G.S. 122C‑56permitting disclosure of confidential information may apply to the records of aclient when federal statutes or regulations applicable to that client prohibitthe disclosure of this information.

(e)        Except as requiredor permitted by law, disclosure of confidential information to someone notauthorized to receive the information is a Class 3 misdemeanor and ispunishable only by a fine, not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00).  (1955, c. 887, s. 12; 1963,c. 1166, s. 10; 1965, c. 800, s. 4; 1973, c. 47, s. 2; c. 476, s. 133; c. 673,s. 5; c. 1408, s. 2; 1979, c. 147; 1983, c. 383, s. 10; c. 491; c. 638, s. 22;c. 864, s. 4; 1985, c. 589, s. 2; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 863, s. 11; 1987,c. 749, s. 2; 1993, c. 539, s. 920; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 2009‑299,s. 5.)