Disposal of media containing PHI and PII

Issue

This article is about how to arrange for disposal of Dartmouth College Records that may contain Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Environment

This article applies to Dartmouth College departments that need to dispose of Dartmouth College Records. It does not apply to Non-Records (newspapers, magazines, books or other published information, blank paper, etc.).

Cause

Information can be stored on:  Paper records, computer flash drives, optical disks (CDs/DVDs), VCR tape, Zip Disks or other magnetic media, computer hard drives, etc. The issue is how to dispose of that media securely in a verifiable manner.

Resolution

The Records Management department at Dartmouth College has a system where records can be securely disposed of by boxing up the media and having it picked up in boxes specifically designed for this. The process can be started by creating a Work Order with the FO&M Work Control office. On the first Wednesday of the month, the boxes you order will be picked up and stored securely until there is enough for Records Management to have their vendor come in to securely shred or otherwise dispose of the media.

More information about working through this process can be found at the Records Management Frequently Asked Questions page at:

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/recmgmt/faq.html

The Records Management Contact page can be found at:

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/recmgmt/about.html