Disclaimer of Endorsement and Liability
Blair Gastroenterology Associates (BGA) does not endorse or recommend any commercial services, products, or, processes. Therefore, mention of commercial services, products, or processes on BGA's web site, www.blairgastro.com, cannot be construed as an endorsement or recommendation.
The BGA web site provides links to other internet sites. This is done for informational purposes only and as a convenience for its users. When users select a link to an external web site, they are leaving the BGA web site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the external site.
BGA does not endorse the organizations that sponsor linked, external web sites. In addition, BGA does not endorse products or services that such organizations may offer. Furthermore, BGA does not control or guarantee the currency, accuracy, relevance, or completeness of any information found on linked, external web sites.
BGA cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials published on linked, external web sites. Users must request authorization from the sponsors of those web sites.
BGA is not responsible for any transmissions users may receive from linked, external web sites.
BGA does not guarantee that linked, external web sites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.
Information posted on BGA’s web site for public use will not be posted unless developed by or for BGA or appropriate references are made.
In general, it is not BGA's intention to provide specific medical advice to users of its web site, but rather to provide users with information to help them better understand their health and the current range of approaches related to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment options for gastrointestinal diseases. BGA urges users to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to their personal medical questions.
General Information
Blair Gastroenterology Associates (BGA) respects the privacy of users of its web site, www.blairgastro.com. BGA does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors to www.blairgastro.com unless required to do so by law.
BGA is especially concerned about protecting the privacy of children. BGA encourages parents and teachers to stay involved with and in control of children's internet explorations. It is particularly important for parents to offer guidance to their children about providing personal information online.
BGA may automatically collect a limited amount of information about the use of its web site, primarily for statistical purposes (that is, to measure the numbers of visitors to various sections of the site). This information may also be helpful when considering changes to www.blairgastro.com, to make the site more useful to visitors.
Information Collected and Stored Automatically
The following information about users of the BGA web site may be collected and stored automatically:
· The internet domain from which a user has accessed the Internet. For example, if a user connects to the internet through America Online, the domain is aol.com.
· The internet protocol (IP) address of the computer that was used to access the internet. An IP address is a number that is assigned to a user's computer when he/she logs onto the internet. When a web page is requested, the user's IP address is included in the message, and the recipient of the request can respond to it by sending another message using that IP address.
· The name and version of the user's computer operating system and internet browser. For example, Windows 2000 (operating system) and Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape Navigator 7.1 (internet browsers).
· If a user comes to www.blairgastro.com from another web site, the internet address of the "referring" web site.
· The date, time, and duration of the user's visit to www.blairgastro.com, and the pages visited.
Cookies
When a user visits a web site, the web site's server generates a piece of information known as a "cookie" and places it on the user's computer. Some cookies remain on a user's computer after the user has ended his/her web site visit. These types of cookies are called "persistent" cookies. They collect personal information about a user and allow the user's computer to be recognized in the future. Nonpersistent cookies, or "session cookies," are erased by a user's computer after a period of inactivity or when the user closes his/her internet browser. Session cookies do not collect any personal information about a user. They serve technical purposes, such as allowing seamless navigation through a web site. Session cookies are stored in memory and are only available during an active browser session.
The BGA web site does not use persistent cookies at this time. If web site activities which use persistent cookies are included in BGA’s web site they will be specifically detailed in this section of the policy document. Review of this document prior to usage will give the user specific information so that informed decision making can occur.
E-mail Messages Sent to the BGA Web Site
When inquiries are sent to the BGA web site by e-mail, the question(s) and the e-mail address of the sender are stored electronically to allow time for a response to be researched, written, and sent. Unless otherwise required by law, BGA will not identify anyone who sends questions or comments to its web site. BGA does not collect information that will allow users to be identified personally, unless they choose to provide such information.
If children send questions or comments to the BGA web site and include their name and/or home mailing address as part of their message, the information will be used only to respond to them personally. Providing this type of information is optional, and BGA suggests that children obtain their parents' permission before providing any information online--to the BGA web site or any other web site.
Links to Other Web Sites from the BGA Web Site
BGA web site has links to other web sites. BGA cannot guarantee the privacy or security of information users provide to linked, external web sites.
Blair Gastroenterology Associates (BGA) is committed to providing access to all individuals--disabled or not--who are seeking information on its web site. To provide this information, BGA’s web site has been designed to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended).
Section 508 requires that all individuals with disabilities (whether they are federal government employees or members of the general public) have access to and use of information and data comparable to that provided to individuals without disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed.
Any individual using assistive technology (such as a screen reader, Braille reader, etc.) who experiences difficulty in accessing information on www.cancer.gov, should send an e-mail to mail@blairgastro.com or call BGA’s office at 814-946-5469 for assistance. The nature of the accessibility problem and contact information should be included in any e-mail or telephone message. If the accessibility problem involves a particular web page, including the URL (web address) of the page would be helpful. A member of the BGA staff will contact individuals with accessibility problems as soon as possible to assist them and to provide them the information sought.
Blair Gastroenterology Associates (BGA) encourages links to its public web resources.
Individuals or organizations wishing to link to the BGA site should direct their link to http://www.blairgastro.com. If a description is to be provided with the link, BGA would prefer the following wording:
Blair Gastroenterology Associates web site (http://www.blairgastro.com) provides accurate, up-to-date information regarding colorectal cancer, information about prevention, screening and surveillance and resources for people dealing with colorectal cancer prevention.
The abbreviated description "The web site of Blair Gastroenterology Associates (http://www.blairgastro.com)" is also acceptable.
Links to individual pages within the BGA web site are also permissible; provided attribution is made to BGA and any descriptive notes accurately reflect the content of the linked page(s).
Some pages on the BGA web site may contain links to external web sites. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes. In general, it is the policy of the BGA web site to link only to Web sites whose content meets acceptable standards of quality and also supplements or enhances existing content on www.blairgastro.com.
Copyright and Registered Trademarks
Most of the information on Blair Gastroenterology Associates (BGA) web site has been written by employees. This material is in not in the public domain and is subject to copyright restrictions. Permission is required to use it or reproduce it. Permission requests to use artwork, graphics and text in BGA materials may be directed to:
Blair Gastroenterology Associates
810 Valley View Boulevard, Altoona, PA 16602
BGA's logo is also trademarked. This logo cannot be used or reproduced without BGA's consent. Queries regarding use of the BGA logo should be directed to:
Blair Gastroenterology Associates,
810 Valley View Boulevard, Altoona, PA 16602