FOIL: Live Birth Data, Survival Ratio, Abnormal Vital Statistics (Suffolk 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

Thank you for your response to my recent Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request. While I understand that the Suffolk County Department of Health Services does not currently have the live birth data and other vital statistics that I requested, I have since learned that county health departments in New York State are required under the New York State Public Health Law and the New York State Local Government Records Retention and Disposition Schedule (LGS-1) to collect and maintain vital statistics records, including data on live births.

Given these requirements, I respectfully request that the Suffolk County Department of Health Services review its vital statistics collection procedures and conduct a thorough search for the live birth data and other vital statistics that I requested. I understand that the collection of vital statistics data is governed by a set of procedures and protocols that must be followed, and I urge the department to take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with these requirements.

If the department is not able to locate these records, I would appreciate it if you could direct me to the appropriate agency that does.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to your response. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.