Privacy Policy
Effective August 6, 2026. Appalachian Access is owned and operated by Appalachian Meridian Group, LLC. In this policy, "we" means Appalachian Meridian Group, LLC, operating the Appalachian Access service.
Who we are and what this service is
Appalachian Access is a patient navigation service. We help people find and reach care: clinical trials, specialty care, and mobile field clinic days. We do not diagnose conditions, provide medical treatment, prescribe, or provide emergency services.
If this is a medical emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
We do not currently claim HIPAA compliance. We handle your health information carefully and share it only as described below and only with your consent, but you should not assume the protections of a HIPAA-covered entity apply to this service.
Health and personal information we collect
You can browse trials, clinic days and general information without an account. We collect the categories below only when you choose to provide them.
Account information
What we collect: Email address, password (stored only as a secure hash by our authentication provider), display name, sign-in method (email or Google), and the dates you signed in.
Why: To create your account, sign you in, and reach you about your requests.
Contact and location information
What we collect: Phone number, preferred contact method (text, phone call, email), ZIP code, county and state, and how far you can travel.
Why: So a navigator can contact you the way you asked, and so we can show care and clinic days near you.
Access profile
What we collect: Age, primary diagnosis or condition, specialties you need, insurance status (for example uninsured, Medicaid, Medicare, employer plan), transportation barriers and notes, accessibility needs, language needs, and whether you prefer in-person or telehealth care.
Why: To match you to trials, providers and clinic days, and to plan travel and telehealth access.
Patient chart (optional health record)
What we collect: Conditions and diagnoses, medications, allergies, surgeries and procedures, family history, lifestyle information you enter, height and weight, pregnancy status, and free-text notes you write.
Why: To help you check eligibility for studies and to give a navigator the context you choose to share. Filling out a chart is always optional.
Eligibility screening answers
What we collect: Your yes/no/unsure answers to a study's screening questions and any notes you add.
Why: To show you an eligibility checklist and, if you apply, to share with that study's research site.
Applications and navigation requests
What we collect: The studies you save and apply to, messages you write to research teams, navigation and access-coordination requests, urgency, and follow-up answers about whether you received care and whether you have a primary care provider.
Why: To process the request, track your Access Plan, and follow up with you.
Clinic day interest
What we collect: ZIP code, county, specialties requested, transportation needs, contact preference, and which clinic days you mark as interested or attending.
Why: To notify you about clinic days near you and to plan where the mobile field clinic goes.
Video visit information
What we collect: Whether a visit was scheduled and joined, and notes a navigator writes afterward. Live camera and microphone streams travel directly between you and the navigator and are not recorded or stored by us.
Why: To hold the visit and keep a record of your navigation.
Consent records
What we collect: Each consent you accepted or declined, the exact wording and version you saw, the time, and your browser's user-agent string.
Why: So both you and we have an accurate record of what you agreed to.
Payment information
What we collect: Plan and purchase history, subscription status, session credits, and the identifiers our payment processor gives us. Card numbers are entered directly with our payment processor (Stripe) and are never stored on our servers.
Why: To bill for paid navigation, plans and purchases, and to show your billing history.
Communication preferences and notifications
What we collect: Which alerts you turn on, your chosen channels (email, SMS, phone), and the notifications we generated for you.
Why: To send only what you asked for.
Technical information
What we collect: Standard server and error logs, including IP address, browser type and pages requested.
Why: To keep the service secure, working and debuggable.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your health information for advertising.
Who we share information with — and only with your consent
Before your information leaves Appalachian Access, we ask you to consent and we log that decision on your consent record.
- Navigators and coordinators — staff who work on your request see the information you shared with them.
- Research sites and sponsors — only when you apply to a study, and only the information in your application, profile and screening answers.
- Clinics, providers and programs — only when a navigator contacts them on your behalf with your consent.
- Service providers — our hosting and database provider, our payment processor (Stripe), our email and messaging providers, and a ZIP-code lookup service used to calculate distance. They process data on our instructions.
- Legal — if we are required by law, or to protect someone's safety.
Reports we publish about community demand are de-identified and aggregated (for example, counts by ZIP code, specialty or insurance status).
How long we keep information
We keep your account and navigation records while your account is open, and for as long as needed to complete a request you started. Consent records and basic billing records are kept longer where we are required to. When you delete your account we remove your profile, chart, applications, requests, notifications and preferences from the live service.
Your choices and rights
- See and edit your profile, access profile and chart any time.
- Turn any notification or channel off in Alert preferences.
- Withdraw a consent by contacting support — we stop sharing going forward.
- Delete your account and data yourself from Delete my account.
- Ask for a copy of your information by emailing privacy@appalachianaccess.org.
Children
Appalachian Access accounts are for people 18 and older. A parent or legal guardian may use the service on behalf of a minor.
Security
Data is encrypted in transit, access to member data is limited to Appalachian Access staff working on your request, and each record is protected by row-level access rules so members cannot see each other's data. No online service can promise perfect security.
Changes and contact
If we change this policy we will update the effective date and, for material changes, notify you in the app. Questions: privacy@appalachianaccess.org or (276) 970-3072. See also our Terms of Service and Support.
Appalachian Access is owned and operated by Appalachian Meridian Group, LLC.