Blood Lead Level Data (Department of Health)
| Tracking # |
AP19-0625 |
| Multi Request | Blood Lead Level Data |
| Submitted | June 18, 2019 |
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Communications
From: Julia Rock
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
All data regarding the mandatory lead blood tests that Rhode Island children receive and are reported to the Department of Health pursuant to RIGL § 23-24.6-21 (Laboratory testing and reporting requirement certification) that was reported to the Department of Health between January 1, 2012 and January, 2019, including blood lead level, zip code, and race/ ethnicity.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
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 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Julia Rock
From: Department of Health
I am writing in reply to your records request for records related to "all data regarding the mandatory lead blood tests that RI Children receive & are reported to the DOH pursuant to RIGL 23-24-.6-21 (Laboratory Testing & reporting requirement certification) that was reported to the DOH between January 1, 2012 and January 2019 including blood lead level, zip code, and race/ethnicity." I'm attaching your original request for reference. Under the Access to Public Records Act statute medical records are considered "medical information relating to any individual in any file" and are exempted from disclosure by R.I. Gen. Laws §38-2-2(A)(I)(a).
Attached are the responsive records to your request. We have also attached the childhood lead poisoning prevention program referral intervention process, guidelines for actions. Please note counts fewer than five are suppressed to protect privacy and confidentiality and should not be used to construct proportions, rates and other statistics.
Because some of the records are being withheld from you, I read R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-8 as requiring the Department give you notice of your right to appeal this decision of denial under the Access to Public Records Act to the Director of Health, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908, as Chief Administrator Officer of this agency. You may also file an objection or complaint with the Department of the Attorney General, 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, or the Rhode Island Superior Court of the county where the record(s) are maintained. Further information concerning Rhode Island's Access to Public Records Act may be available through the Attorney General's website at www.riag.org<http://www.riag.org>.
Joseph Wendelken | Public Information Officer
Rhode Island Department of Health
3 Capitol Hill, Room 401; Providence, Rhode Island 02908
joseph.wendelken@health.ri.gov<mailto:joseph.wendelken@health.ri.gov>
Desk: 401-222-3998 | Mobile: 401-378-0704 | Weekend press contact: 401-641-8726
This message and all attachments may contain information that is confidential and/or proprietary to the Rhode Island Department of Health, including personal health information, and disclosure or distribution to anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you believe you have received this information in error, please notify the sender by replying to this email and immediately delete this message without disclosure.
From: Julia Rock
Hello Joseph:
Just following up on our phone conversation. Like I said, there are two aspects of these records I'm still looking for.
The first is that these records report the incidence, but I'm also looking for prevalence data which is reported in the same manner. These tables report data for children with certain blood lead levels for the first time, but I'm looking for all reports of blood lead levels above zero, not just those who reported it for the first time. Again, that is prevalence AND incidence (both are reported and should be contained in the same records).
The second is that records of blood lead levels between 0 and 5 were withheld for privacy reasons, but this doesn't make sense because all other blood lead levels were released unredacted. Furthermore, there is no demographic information attached to these data so there is no individual privacy concern. Therefore, I am interested not just in blood lead levels above 5 but above 0, as there is no known safe level of lead in the blood.
Sincerely,
Julia Rock
From: Department of Health
Hey Julia,
I was able to connect with our team. We’ll be sending some more information soon. We are a little short staffed today, but I will get the info over as soon as possible. Thanks.
Joseph Wendelken | Public Information Officer
Rhode Island Department of Health
3 Capitol Hill, Room 401; Providence, Rhode Island 02908
joseph.wendelken@health.ri.gov<mailto:joseph.wendelken@health.ri.gov>
Desk: 401-222-3998 | Mobile: 401-378-0704 | Weekend press contact: 401-641-8726
This message and all attachments may contain information that is confidential and/or proprietary to the Rhode Island Department of Health, including personal health information, and disclosure or distribution to anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you believe you have received this information in error, please notify the sender by replying to this email and immediately delete this message without disclosure.
-
~WRD000
From: Department of Health
Hello Julia,
Thank you for your patience on this one. See the attached for the prevalence data that you requested. You can also find prevalence data by city and town posted online here<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PY9H5kwseYPoLwm-WTm0oSD8x-sQ7RIF0IN-LWPUtFk/edit#gid=1263478879>. (See the different tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet.)
In terms of your second inquiry, I wrote on 6/26 that “counts fewer than five are suppressed to protect privacy and confidentiality…” This does not mean that records of blood lead levels between 0 and 5 mcg/dL were withheld. It means that the actual number of children is suppressed when compiling data at the city and town level if that number is fewer than five. This is a standard approach we use when sharing any kind of public health data, so we include that caveat in all our data responses. However, it’s a moot point, because we developed that data policy after we published these responsive documents. So all the counts are included.
Joseph Wendelken | Public Information Officer
Rhode Island Department of Health
3 Capitol Hill, Room 401; Providence, Rhode Island 02908
joseph.wendelken@health.ri.gov<mailto:joseph.wendelken@health.ri.gov>
Desk: 401-222-3998 | Mobile: 401-378-0704 | Weekend press contact: 401-641-8726
This message and all attachments may contain information that is confidential and/or proprietary to the Rhode Island Department of Health, including personal health information, and disclosure or distribution to anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you believe you have received this information in error, please notify the sender by replying to this email and immediately delete this message without disclosure.
-
~WRD000
From: Julia Rock
Hello Joseph:
Thanks so much for this follow-up and for providing the remainder of the data. It is super helpful!
Sincerely,
Julia Rock
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