FOIL: Live Birth Data, Survival Ratio, Abnormal Vital Statistics (Saratoga County Department Of Health)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law, I hereby request the following records:

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law and the obligations of county health departments under the New York State Local Government Records Retention and Disposition Schedule (LGS-1) for birth and death records, I hereby request the following records:

Live Birth Data including constant birth rate, long term, short term, and average birth rates for within the county or school district subdivisions for the current (2022/23) and previous six years by year.

Birth to Kindergarten Survival Ratio for the county or school district subdivisions used for the past ten years by year.

All communications to or from school districts, NYS Education Department, NYS Bureau of Vital Statistics, or NYS Department of Health containing these statistical tabulations and data, and any communications regarding requests for this data, responses from the county health department to these parties regarding live birth data and/or any abnormal vital statistics observations since November 2019.

I request that the records be provided in electronic format, either by email attachment or on a CD-ROM.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this request, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

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 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Jackson Parker

Dear Ms. Therese Connolly,

I am writing in response to your recent denial of my Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request (23-094) received in your office on March 13, 2023. I appreciate your prompt response, but I respectfully disagree with your determination.

In my request, I sought records related to live birth data, including constant birth rate, long term, short term, and average birth rates for within the county or school district subdivisions for the current (2022/23) and previous six years by year. However, your department has indicated that the records sought are not possessed or maintained by your department.

As a member of the public, I have a right to access government records that are maintained by the agency or department that has custody of them. I understand that if the records do not exist or are not maintained by your department, you are not obligated to provide them under Public Officers Law § 89(3).

However, I request that you certify in writing, pursuant to Public Officers Law § 89(3)(a), that you have conducted a diligent search and that the records I have requested do not exist or cannot be located after a diligent search. Please provide a detailed description of the steps taken to search for the records, including any relevant dates, personnel involved, and search methods used.

Furthermore, if any records related to my request are located, I ask that you provide them to me as soon as possible. I am willing to pay any reasonable fees associated with fulfilling my request.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing back from you within the time frame required by the statute.