Client Sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and HMIS Messaging
Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information about an individual which can be used to distinguish, trace, or identify and individual's identity without any additional details.
Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information should be kept in a secure location at all times and is only available to authorized persons. When communicating via email, even when contacting HMIS support, Sensitive PII should never be shared - The only acceptable information is the Client Unique Identifier found in Clarity.
When contacting HMIS Support (HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org) or anyone via email, please DO NOT send clients' Sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
Examples of Sensitive PII (not an exhaustive list):
- Full or partial name
- Social security number
- Date of birth
- Parent/child's name
- Veteran Status
- Demographic Information
- Contact Information
Information you can send via email:
- Clarity Unique Identifier
The Clarity Unique Identifier is found on the client's profile page under the client's image:
The Clarity UID is only considered PII when on its own, not Sensitive PII, because outside of the Clarity system itself, it will not help outside parties identify the individual associated with it. However, if the UID is combined with other information, such as family size or age, it could reasonably be used as a means of identification. This type of grouped information should be considered Sensitive PII and treated as such.
Clarity Messaging
Clarity allows users to communicate privately through a secure internal system.
This is the only acceptable method of sending Sensitive PII.
Click on the envelope icon at the top right of the Clarity screen. This brings up your inbox, where you can read messages or send new ones.
To send a message, click on "New Message." Make sure the CoC is set to "Cincinnati/Hamilton County CoC."
Via the drop-down box, select the agency, then the recipient. Type your message, then click "Send Message." Clarity users have the ability to send message to all authorized Clarity users within our community.
Receiving Messages through Clarity Messaging
Clarity users will receive an email from the Clarity system with an alert that they have a message. You will also know you have a message if there's a number on the envelope at the top right of the screen. Click the envelope to open the message screen. Click the "Read" icon to open the message and reply to the sender.
More information about messaging can be found on the Bitfocus Clarity help website.
Contact Information
If you need help, or wish to offer suggestions or feedback, please contact the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS Support Team at HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org or by calling 513-263-2790 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays.
When contacting HMIS Support about a particular client, please do not send sensitive personally identifiable information (Sensitive PII) through email, such as full name, social security number, or any other information used to determine a person's identification. Instead, please send the Clarity Unique Identifier found on the client's Clarity Profile page. You can use the messaging system in Clarity if you need to send sensitive personally identifying information.