Louisiana Public Records Law: Request for email correspondence with Keith Talamo and Kenneth Odinet

Dear Dillon Bergin:
Thank you for your interest in the public records of Louisiana Department of Health. Your request has been received and is being processed in accordance with the Louisiana Public Records Act. Your request was received in this office on 2/19/2022 and given the reference number P002263-021922 for tracking purposes.
Name of Documents Requested: Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Louisiana Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All email correspondence, including all underlying attachments contained therein, sent to, from or cc'd between employees of the Louisiana Department of Health and Senior Services (including but not limited to members of the Lafayette Parish Health Unit) and Keith Talamo or Kenneth Odinet (work emails: kodinet@lafayettela.gov and ktalamo@lafayettela.gov; or any personal email accounts) between December 1, 2021, and the date this request is ultimately fulfilled.

We, Documenting COVID-19, are a nonprofit organization working on behalf of news organizations, academics and other public bodies to provide clear, timely information for public dissemination. We have recently published our findings in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.

This information is in the public interest as coronavirus remains a threat to public health. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer than the required amount of time, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

For any documents that are withheld on the grounds of an exemption, privilege, or other reason, please justify each omission separately by reference to specific exemptions of the law, and release all reasonably segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question.

PLEASE NOTE: Although LDH’s records are generally subject to disclosure under the Louisiana Public Records Act (La. R.S. 44:1, et seq.), it is possible that confidentiality and/or privilege issues may be encountered in the processing of your request.  If so, LDH will immediately notify you of any such issues and work with you to resolve them.

You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below, and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed.

Thank you,
Louisiana Department of Health

--- Please respond above this line ---

February 21, 2022
Dillon Bergin
MuckRock News DEPT MR 125042 411A Highland Ave
Somerville  MA 02144-2516
RE: Reference # P002263-021922.
RE: Public Records Request of February 19, 2022, Reference # P002263-021922
Dear Dillon Bergin,
The Louisiana Department of Health received a public information request from you on February 19, 2022. Your request mentioned: “To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Louisiana Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All email correspondence, including all underlying attachments contained therein, sent to, from or cc'd between employees of the Louisiana Department of Health and Senior Services (including but not limited to members of the Lafayette Parish Health Unit) and Keith Talamo or Kenneth Odinet (work emails: kodinet@lafayettela.gov and ktalamo@lafayettela.gov; or any personal email accounts) between December 1, 2021, and the date this request is ultimately fulfilled.

We, Documenting COVID-19, are a nonprofit organization working on behalf of news organizations, academics and other public bodies to provide clear, timely information for public dissemination. We have recently published our findings in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.

This information is in the public interest as coronavirus remains a threat to public health. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer than the required amount of time, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

For any documents that are withheld on the grounds of an exemption, privilege, or other reason, please justify each omission separately by reference to specific exemptions of the law, and release all reasonably segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
This letter is to clarify the information that you are seeking from the Louisiana Department of Health
Please provide some specific details regarding the subject matter of this request or the specific staff you would like us to search in order for LDH to direct the search for responsive records.
If you would like for the Louisiana Department of Health to proceed with your public information request, please provide clarifications within fifteen (15) days from 02/21/2022. Otherwise, the Louisiana Department of Health will consider your request withdrawn.
You may provide a response to the Louisiana Department of Health by any of the following methods:
* by responding to this email or
* by regular mail to Louisiana Department of Health  628 N. 4th Street (70802) P.O. Box 3836 Baton Rouge, LA  70821
Upon receipt of your clarification, the Louisiana Department of Health will further respond to your  Request as required by law, including providing you with an estimate of costs associated with producing the requested records.
If you have any questions, please reply to this email communication. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Michael Coleman
Attorney at Law
Bureau of Legal Services (BLS)

Dear Dillon Bergin,
In regards to your Public Records Request, which we received on 2/19/2022, we requested clarification from you 15 days ago. To date, we have not received a response. The Louisiana Department of Health now considers this request CLOSED. If you would still like the records, please submit another Public Records Request. Thank you for using the LDH Records Center.
Request Details:
Reference # P002263-021922
Description of Records Requested:

This is an auto-generated email and has originated from an unmonitored email account. Please DO NOT REPLY

Dear Dillon Bergin,

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of February 19, 2022, Reference # P002263-021922

Dear Dillon Bergin,

Your public records request is being processed; it is estimated that it will require an additional 15-30 days for collection and review of the prospective records before they will be available for inspection or reproduction.

It is possible that after this review that some or all of the prospective records may be exempt from disclosure, or that confidentiality and/or privilege issues may prevent the disclosure of the requested records. If so, LDH will contact you immediately to state the legal basis for withholding any records responsive to your request.

Sincerely,

Michael Coleman
Attorney at Law
Bureau of Legal Services (BLS)

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: Public Records Request of February 19, 2022., Reference # P002263-021922
Dear Dillon Bergin,
The Louisiana Department of Health received a public information request from you on February 19, 2022. Your request mentioned: "To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Louisiana Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All email correspondence, including all underlying attachments contained therein, sent to, from or cc'd between employees of the Louisiana Department of Health and Senior Services (including but not limited to members of the Lafayette Parish Health Unit) and Keith Talamo or Kenneth Odinet (work emails: kodinet@lafayettela.gov and ktalamo@lafayettela.gov; or any personal email accounts) between December 1, 2021, and the date this request is ultimately fulfilled.

We, Documenting COVID-19, are a nonprofit organization working on behalf of news organizations, academics and other public bodies to provide clear, timely information for public dissemination. We have recently published our findings in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.

This information is in the public interest as coronavirus remains a threat to public health. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer than the required amount of time, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

For any documents that are withheld on the grounds of an exemption, privilege, or other reason, please justify each omission separately by reference to specific exemptions of the law, and release all reasonably segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Dillon Bergin

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
There were no emails between LDH staff and Mr. Odinet or Mr. Talamo regarding Covid-19.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to reply to this email communication.
Sincerely,
Michael Coleman
Bureau of Legal Services (BLS)
Louisiana Department of Health