YRMC says it will not release the names of coronavirus patients

Hospital says privacy and protection of their patients are its priority

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Some Yuma County residents believe health officials and Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) should make public the names of local coronavirus patients. The hospital tells 13 On Your Side, that's not going to happen.

YRMC, and most medical facilities are bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, better known as HIPAA. It's a federal statute designed to protect patients' privacy. It makes disclosing any medical information illegal.

Lori Nolte with Yuma Regional Medical Center told 13 On Your Side, the privacy of their patients is most important.

“Thats not necessary information for anyone to have. It doesn’t change our processes here and it doesn’t change what people should be doing at home," Nolte said.

“We do have some exceptions to those rules… and those are public health issues such as the COVID-19. In which this case we are obligated to report that to the yuma county health department and we report the very minimum," she added.

Lori also tells us that the hospital has not received any calls from the general public, trying to retrieve patient’s names.

The hospital workforce is asking the public to continue following the governor's orders to stay inside your homes.

This allows peace of mind for healthcare workers on the frontlines, treating this highly contagious virus.