To use this website, you must agree to Palomar Health’s Terms of Use.
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By using this website, you agree to Palomar Health's Terms of Use:

Last Updated October 17, 2023

By using this website, you agree to the following Terms of Use. If you do not agree to all of these terms, please do not use this website. Palomar Health reserves the right to change, modify, add, or delete portions of these Terms of Use at any time, including to the arbitration and class waiver provisions identified below. Your continued use of this website following any changes to the Terms of Use will mean that you accept those changes. Please refer to the date listed above to determine when the last changes were made. Please read carefully below regarding your rights with respect to disputes, which includes an agreement to resolve disputes by arbitration on an individual basis.

Use of Personal Information/Privacy:

This website is owned and operated by Palomar Health, a public health district in California. By using this website, you agree that Palomar Health may monitor your use of this website and may use the results of such monitoring without limitation.

During your visit to our website, we may request information from you, such as your name, email address, physical address, telephone number and other personal information. Further, we will collect any other personal information you share with us.

Personally identifiable information may be collected from visitors to our website and provided in an aggregate form to other parties within the Palomar Health family, or external to it, for marketing, advertising or other similar uses. Third parties may monitor your use of this website.

We provide several ways to e-mail us with questions you may have as you navigate our website. Please note that any information sent through an e-mail message is unsecured and can be seen on computers which transfer data from your computer to Palomar Health. We recommend that you do not email sensitive personal health information, or any other confidential information, to Palomar Health or anyone else. Should you choose to provide information in this manner, you do so at your own risk.

For further information regarding Palomar Health’s Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms of Use by reference, please review: https://www.palomarhealth.org/privacy-information/

Cookies:

Please be aware that your browser must be enabled to accept cookies for you to use certain areas of our website. A cookie is a piece of data that a web server stores on your hard drive so that it can be retrieved later. Other than as discussed above, we do not use this information for any other purpose. All of the information Palomar obtains from you is stored in our database and may be retrieved by people who are gathering that information. A cookie containing your unique ID is all that is stored on your computer.

Copyright:

  1. Ownership: In general, information presented on this web site, unless otherwise indicated, is considered in the public domain. It may be distributed or copied as permitted by law. However, Palomar Health does make use of copyrighted data (e.g., photographs or other materials) which may require additional permissions prior to your use. Palomar Health shall have the unlimited right to use for any purpose, free of any charge, all information submitted via this site, except those submissions made under separate legal contract. Palomar Health shall be free to use, for any purpose, any ideas, concepts, or techniques contained in information provided through this site.
  2. Permission May Be Required From Other Parties: This website may include copyrighted materials owned by third-party contributors who have granted Palomar Health permission to post those materials on this website. The fact that Palomar Health has permission to post the materials does not give you the right to use those materials. To use any copyrighted material that is not owned or created by Palomar Health, you must seek permission directly from the owning or holding sources.

Trademarks:

“PalomarHealth.org,” “Palomar Health,” and all logos related to Palomar Health’s services are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Palomar Health or Palomar Health’s licensors. You may not copy or otherwise use them without Palomar Health’s prior written consent. In addition, all page headers, custom graphics, button icons, and scripts are similarly protected and you may not copy, imitate, modify or use them without our prior written consent. You may use HTML logos provided by Palomar Health for the purpose of directing web traffic to Palomar Health. You may not alter, modify or change these HTML logos in any way, use them in a manner that misrepresents Palomar Health or its services or use them in a manner that implies Palomar Health’s sponsorship or endorsement, unless so authorized in writing by Palomar Health.

You must be over 13 to use this Website:

This website is intended for use by people age 13 or older. If you are younger than 13, you should seek permission from your parent or guardian to use this website and any information submitted on your behalf to this website must be by a parent or guardian.

Content of this Website Is for Informational Purposes Only – No Medical Diagnosis or Advice is Given:

The content and materials provided in this website are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment.

PALOMAR HEALTH DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, TIMELINESS OR COMPLETENESS OF SUCH INFORMATION AND CONTENT AND MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION AND CONTENT. PALOMAR HEALTH ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER OF ANY KIND FOR THE INFORMATION OR CONTENT CONTAINED IN THE WEBSITE, OR FOR ANY DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT MADE IN RELIANCE THEREON.

PALOMAR HEALTH DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE CONFIDENTIALITY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY COMMUNICATIONS MADE THROUGH THIS WEBSITE. THE INTERNET SHOULD NOT BE USED TO TRANSMIT ANY SENSITIVE OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION TO PALOMAR HEALTH, AS OTHERS MAY INTERCEPT THE INFORMATION. ADDITIONALLY, INFORMATION TRANSMITTED TO PALOMAR HEALTH VIA ELECTRONIC MEANS TO THIS WEBSITE MAY NOT BE RECEIVED AT ALL, MAY NOT BE RECEIVED OR REVIEWED IN A TIMELY MANNER, OR MAY BE RECEIVED BY THE WRONG PARTY.

Linked Sites:

The Palomar Health Website contains links to external websites which may be useful to you and which may provide services. These links are provided as an information service only. It is the responsibility of the user to evaluate the content and usefulness of information obtained from other websites. Linking to another website takes you away from the Palomar Health Website and subjects you to the privacy policy of the new website. Palomar is not responsible for the content of any external website. Palomar Health will not be liable in any way for any external website, including, without limitation, for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of your use of the such sites. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with the use of any external website, including, without limitation, any reliance on the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the material contained therein.

Third Party Advertising:

Third parties may offer goods and services to you through marketing that is made available at or through this website. Unless otherwise expressly stated, Palomar Health makes no endorsement regarding such parties, nor does Palomar Health make any representation, recommendation or warranty with respect to these third parties’ goods, services or advertising. You agree to hold Palomar Health harmless in connection with the selection of third party advertisers, as well as their acts and omissions.

Disclaimer of Warranties:

All materials on this website are provided “as is” and Palomar Health expressly disclaims any and all warranties of the material provided herein, expressly stated or by implication, including any: (i) implied warranties of design, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose or title, (ii) warranties arising from a course of dealing, usage or trade practice, and (iii) warranties of non-infringement.

No oral or written information or advice given by Palomar Health in connection with this website will create any warranty.

Palomar Health does not warrant or promise that the functions contained in any of the services or products provided on this website will meet your requirements, or that the operation of any such services or products will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that defects in any such services or products will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or other harmful components. Furthermore, Palomar Health does not warrant or make any representations regarding the use or the results of the use of any such services or products in terms of its correctness, accuracy, timeliness, reliability or otherwise.

(State Limitations)

Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you. You should check your local laws for any restrictions or limitations regarding implied warranties.

(User Information, Data, and Content)

PALOMAR HEALTH ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INFORMATION, DATA OR CONTENTS GENERATED BY YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THIS WEBSITE OR SERVICES. PALOMAR HEALTH EXERCISES NO AUTHORITY OVER SUCH INFORMATION, DATA AND CONTENTS, DOES NOT REVIEW OR MONITOR SUCH INFORMATION, DATA AND CONTENTS, AND WILL NOT BE LIABLE OR RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, APPLICATION OR CORRECT USE THEREOF.

Limitations on Damages

BY USING THIS WEBSITE YOU AGREE THAT PALOMAR HEALTH SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THIS WEBSITE.

Arbitration

  1. Affects your and our rights and will impact how claims between you and us are resolved;
  2. Includes a Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief pursuant to which you agree to waive your right to participate in a class action lawsuit against us;
  3. Requires you to follow the Opt-Out Procedure to opt-out of these arbitration provisions by mailing us a written notice that must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the date you accept these Terms of Use for the first time.

If a dispute arises between you and Palomar Health, our goal is to learn about and address your concerns. If we are unable to do so to your satisfaction, we aim to provide you with a neutral and cost-effective means of resolving the dispute quickly. Disputes between you and Palomar Health should be reported to Palomar Health according to the provisions of the Government Claims Act, California Government Code section 810, et seq. All notices under the Government Claims Act, section 910 et seq. should be directed to:

Attn: Government Claims Act
Secretary of the Board of Directors of Palomar Health
2125 Citracado Pkwy, Suite 300
Escondido, CA 92029

In the event that resolution under the presentation requirements of the Government Claims Act is not successful in resolving your claim, you agree to abide by the following:

  1. Arbitration Agreement: To the maximum extent permitted by law, you and Palomar Health each agree that any and all disputes or claims that have arisen or may arise between you and Palomar Health, including without limitation federal and state statutory claims, common law claims, and those based in contract, tort, fraud, misrepresentation or any other legal theory, will be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration. This agreement to arbitrate is intended to be broadly interpreted. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this agreement to arbitrate.
  2. Arbitration Venue: Following the procedures set forth in the Government Claims Act, either you or Palomar Health may initiate arbitration. You and Palomar Health each agree to use JAMS (https://www.jamsadr.com/) and to submit any demand for arbitration through JAMS’ process. You and Palomar Health agree to the jurisdiction of the JAMS arbitrator over any dispute between you and Palomar Health, unless you and Palomar Health agree otherwise in writing. If JAMS is not available to administer the dispute, you and Palomar Health agree to use an arbitrator from the American Arbitration Association (https://www.adr.org/).
  3. No Class Actions: To the maximum extent permitted by law, you and Palomar Health agree that each of us may bring claims against the other only on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action or proceeding. Unless both you and Palomar Health agree otherwise, the arbitrator(s) may not consolidate or join more than one person’s or party’s claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a consolidated, representative or class proceeding. Also, the arbitrator(s) may award relief (including monetary, injunctive and declaratory relief) only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief necessitated by that party’s individual claim(s) and in keeping with the damages limitations in the Limitations on Damages section above.
  4. Arbitration Procedures: Arbitration is more informal than a lawsuit in court. Arbitration uses a neutral arbitrator or arbitrators instead of a judge or jury, and court review of an arbitration award is very limited. However, the arbitrator can award the same damages and relief on an individual basis that a court can award to an individual. All issues are for the arbitrator to decide, except that a court of competent jurisdiction may decide issues relating to arbitrability, the scope or enforceability of this agreement to arbitrate, or issues that these Terms of Use indicate that a court can resolve.

Any arbitration will be administered by JAMS, a well-respected arbitration and mediation service. For all claims in which the value of the relief sought is $10,000 or less, JAMS’ Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures, as modified by these Terms of Use, will apply without exception unless otherwise agreed to in writing by both you and Palomar Health. For all other claims, JAMS’ Comprehensive Rules, as modified by these Terms of Use, apply. All of JAMS’ rules are available on their website at https://www.jamsadr.com/adr-rules-procedures/.

The arbitrator must decide the substance of all claims in accordance with applicable law, including recognized principles of equity, and will honor all claims of privilege recognized by law. No court or arbitrator is bound by rulings in prior arbitrations involving different users of Palomar Health’s website, except that a court or arbitrator will be bound by rulings in prior arbitrations involving the same Palomar Health website user, to the extent required by applicable law. The award of the arbitrator shall be final and binding, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.

  1. Arbitration Costs: Payment of all JAMS or arbitrator fees will be governed by JAMS’ rules, unless otherwise stated in these Terms of Use. If you are able to demonstrate that the costs of accessing arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of accessing a court for purposes of pursuing litigation on an individual basis, Palomar Health will pay as much of the JAMS or arbitrator fees as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the cost of accessing the arbitration from being prohibitive. Any request for payment of fees by Palomar Health must be submitted by mail to JAMS along with your Demand for Arbitration. In the event the arbitrator determines that either the substance of your or Palomar Health’s claim or the relief sought was frivolous or brought for an improper purpose, then you or Palomar Health may seek to recover from you or Palomar Health any fees paid, including attorneys’ fees, to the extent permitted by JAMS’ rules and applicable law.
  2. Severability: You and Palomar Health agree that all of the terms in these Terms of Use are severable. You and Palomar Health agree that, if a court decides that any part of these Terms of Use is invalid or unenforceable, the other parts of these Terms of Use still apply. You further agree that, if any disputes are determined by a court not to be subject to arbitration, then those disputes must be severed from any other disputes and may be litigated in court, with the remaining claims heard in arbitration.
  3. Choice of Law: You agree that, except to the extent inconsistent with or preempted by federal law and except as otherwise stated in these Terms of Use, the laws of the State of California, without regard to principles of conflict of laws, will govern these Terms of Use and any claim or dispute that has arisen or may arise between you and Palomar Health.

Opt-Out Procedure: You can choose to reject the arbitration provisions of these Terms of Use by mailing us a written opt-out notice. The opt-out notice must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the date you accept these Terms of Use for the first time. You must mail the opt-out notice to:

Attn: Opt-Out Notice
Secretary of the Board of Directors of Palomar Health
2125 Citracado Pkwy, Suite 300
Escondido, CA 92029

Your opt-out notice must contain the following information: Your name, your address, and the first date after August 11, 2023, on which you first accessed Palomar Health’s website. PLEASE NOTE: You must sign the opt-out notice for it to be effective. This procedure is the only way you can opt out of the arbitration provisions of these Terms of Use. Please note that even if you opt out of the arbitration provisions of these Terms of Use, all other parts of the Terms of Use continue to apply.



    Palomar Health Benefits

    Palomar Health Benefits

    At Palomar Health, benefits are a significant portion of a compensation package and can equal up to an additional 40% of pay. Benefit needs may vary from individual to individual so the benefits package has flexibility to accommodate everyone’s requirements. Below are many of the benefits offered to employees of Palomar Health.

    Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits

    • On the first of the month following the date of hire, employees are eligible to participate in the healthcare benefits program.
      • Medical Insurance – Employees have a choice of three health insurance plans – an EPO, PPO and an HSA.
      • Vision Plan – This plan covers routine eye exams and vision hardware (i.e., frames, lenses and contact lenses).
      • Dental Insurance – The dental plan features a network of more than 500 San Diego County dentists. However, the plan allows the option of seeing a network dentist or obtaining care through another dental provider.

    Income Protection Plans

    Employees are eligible to participate in the income protection plans on the first of the month following 60 days of employment.

    • Basic Employee Life Insurance and AD&D – Palomar Health recognizes the importance of life insurance protection and provides employees with basic life and AD&D coverage of 1x their annual salary. This coverage is free to the employee.
    • Supplemental Life Insurance – In addition to the 1x annual salary in basic life insurance provided to employees, you may purchase up to an additional 4x your annual salary in life insurance (for a total of 5x annual salary).
    • Spouse & Child Life Insurance – Employees may also purchase spouse life insurance that protects you in the event of your spouse’s death. Spouse coverage may be up to 50% of the employee’s total life insurance. In addition to spouse life, employees may also purchase life insurance on their dependents. Options for child life insurance coverage include a $5,000 or $10,000 policy for each dependent child.
    • Short-Term Disability – Short-term disability provides for a weekly benefit of up to 70% of pre-disability income (when combined with income from all other sources). Payments begin after 7 days of disability and end after 25 weeks. Palomar Health subsidizes 50% of the cost of short-term disability coverage.
    • Long Term Disability – The financial consequences of a long-term illness or injury could be disastrous. Palomar Health protects employees by providing long-term disability coverage equal to 50% of the employee’s monthly base pay free of charge. Employees have the ability to purchase additional coverage to 60% or 66 2/3%. This benefit begins after a total elimination period of six months and continues until you recover, return to work, become rehabilitated or reach the maximum benefit period (generally age 65).

    Paid Time Off

    Palomar Health offers generous paid time off opportunities.

    • Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) – Personal time off is designed to provide employees with time away from work in order to ensure your physical and mental well-being. PTO is used for scheduled time off (vacations), unscheduled time off (sick leave), and holidays. PTO begins accruing on your first day of employment and accrues based on the eligible hours worked in a pay period. Full-time employees generally accrue 219 hours/year (over 27 eight-hour days per year) with increases in the accrual rate at 5 years and again at 10 years.
    • Paid Bereavement Leave – Palomar Health provides up to 3 days of paid time for employees to attend services and to attend to the affairs of a deceased family member.
    • Paid Jury Duty Leave – Palomar Health provides up to 15 days of paid jury duty leave to allow employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities.

    Flexible Spending Accounts

    These accounts allow employees to put money aside to pay for certain types of eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars. By anticipating your expense and arranging for deductions to be made from each paycheck, you can lower your taxable income. There are two types of flexible spending accounts – Health Care Spending Account and Dependent Care Spending Account.

    • Health Care Spending Account – This account allows you to use pre-tax dollars to pay health care expenses not reimbursed by the medical, dental or vision plans.
    • Dependent Care Spending Account – This account allows you to use pre-tax dollars to pay for dependent care expenses for either dependent children or elder adults in adult care arrangements.

    Retirement Plans

    Palomar Health provides one of the most generous retirement plans in the market.

    • Money Purchase Pension Plan – After one year of service with 1,000 hours worked in that year, Palomar Health will begin contributing an amount equal to 6.0% of your per pay period gross earnings. After 15 years of participation in the plan, the contribution will increase an additional .5% of your per pay period gross earnings over the established contribution level in effect at the time. Employees have the discretion to direct their investments in a variety of funds available through Fidelity.
    • Deferred Compensation Plan – This pre-tax retirement savings plan is administered by Fidelity Investments. Employees choose the amount they wish to defer/save each pay period. Palomar Health also matches up to 2% of the employee’s contribution, based on years of service. For the first 1-9 years of service, the match is up to 1% for each $1.00 contributed. For 10-15 years of service, the match is up to 2% for each $1.00 contributed and at 16 years of service the contribution increases to up to 3% for each $1.00 contributed.

    Voluntary Benefits

    In addition to insurance, paid time off and retirement benefits, Palomar Health offers a variety of voluntary benefits to meet your needs.

    • Legal – The legal plan gives you access to a nationwide network of more than 9,000 attorneys who can provide you with a wide range of legal services for a fraction of the regular price.
    • College Savings Plan – A college savings plan is a flexible program that helps make saving for higher education easier. The plan allows you to save today to meet the cost of a child’s future education. This plan is offered through Fidelity Investments.
    • Auto & Home – Through this program, you will have the opportunity to apply to purchase discounted auto, home, and other property and liability insurance.
    • Pet Insurance – A Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) policy covers a multitude of medical problems and conditions related to accidental injuries, emergencies, poisoning and illnesses, including cancer. This policy also covers diagnostic tests, prescriptions, office visits, X-rays, treatments, hospitalization, lab fees and surgeries. With a VPI policy, you can visit any licensed veterinarian worldwide.
    • Personal Accident Expense Plan (Non-Work Related) – This plan is designed to help cover the expenses associated with an accidental injury. The plan is offered through UNUM and deductions are taken on a pre-tax basis.
    • Cancer Protection Plan – When a covered individual is diagnosed with cancer, this plan provides benefits for hospital confinement, radiation and chemotherapy and surgery, among others. The plan is offered through UNUM and deductions are taken on a pre-tax basis.
    • Hospital Confinement Indemnity – This policy provides a benefit when you are charged for required hospital confinement of 14 or more hours for a covered sickness or injury. This plan is also offered through UNUM with deductions taken on a pre-tax basis.

    Continuing Education

    Palomar Health offers opportunities to assist in continued education.

    • Tuition Reimbursement – Furthering your career is a goal of Palomar Health. To help support your efforts, Palomar Health provides tuition reimbursement of up to $2,000 per year for full-time employees. Part-time employees are eligible for up to $800 per year.
    • Conference/Seminars – All employees may apply to the conference/seminar fund for up to $300 per year. This fund is available to help offset the cost of on-going continuing education needs/desires.
    • Certifications/Re-certifications – Palomar Health provides opportunities in-house for certification and/or re-certification in CPR, ACLS, etc.
    • E-Learning – Employee continuing education and growth are important at Palomar Health. Employees have access to a wide variety of e-learning and/or instructor-led classes to help broaden their knowledge base and improve their skills. E-learning classes are web-based and are self-paced to accommodate everyone’s learning style.

    Eligible Employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

    Palomar Health is a Public Healthcare district and our full-time employees may be eligible for certain government programs such as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).

    The PSLF Program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full-time in public service jobs. Under this program, you may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance due on your eligible Program loans after you have made a certain number of qualifying payments on those loans while employed full-time by certain public service employers.

    Health and Wellness

    Because our employees’ health and wellness are important at Palomar Health, a variety of programs are offered.

    • Employee Assistance Plan – From time to time the pressures in life can build to the point that some professional assistance and/or guidance may be helpful to employees. This plan provides up to six free visits with a professional counselor.
    • Smoke-Free at Last Group Program
    • Education Classes – These classes range from healthy eating to exercise programs.

    Entertainment

    At Palomar Health, we realize the value of activities outside of the workplace that incorporate family and friends. We offer employees the ability to purchase discounted tickets to movies and attractions across the country through TicketsAtWork.com. As a Palomar Health employee, you will be eligible for discounts from numerous vendors.

    Other Benefits/Celebrations

    At Palomar Health we believe in a culture of reward and recognition. As such we offer a variety of programs and activities, including:

    • An annual event for all employees
    • Hospital week celebrations, including free meals and gifts
    • Free holiday meals and gifts
    • Recognition for outstanding innovation and cost savings
    • Cause for Applause (peer-to-peer recognition)
    • Service Awards