Personal information

To the Editor:

If you walk into a medical facility today and are in a waiting area near the receptionist desk, it is very likely you will hear people attempting to communicate through a sheet of plastic with a mask on. More often than not, the employee on the other side of the plastic is also wearing a mask.

The attempt to communicate can get very loud, and many times, the verbal information exchange is repeated. Individuals who are seated awaiting their appointment or standing in line get to hear people's personal information. This process is much the same at many pharmacies. A smart phone can very easily record this personal information, which can be valuable in the hands of a dishonest person.

The solution is simple: Slide your driver's license or a piece of paper with the necessary information under the plastic, no more shouting back and forth. This can be done when you are the caregiver, as is my case. The person on the other side of the plastic will appreciate it, as I have personally experienced.

HIPAA laws were supposedly created to protect your personal information, so why is this being ignored? This concern has been brought to upper management's attention at my particular locations many times, and the response has been total silence!

Please protect yourself, family members and friends. This is not a mask problem, it's not a sheet of plastic problem, it's an awareness problem!

Bill Seldon

Columbia