Web FOIA Compliance: Department of Health
Government agencies in Washington, D.C., broadly ignore a 2001 law, which requires them to post 10 categories of public records on their websites, according to a public records audit conducted by the D.C. Open Government Coalition in conjunction with the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University.
| Public Information | What's on the Website | Link |
|---|---|---|
| How to FOIA |
There is a FOIA Requests link is on the home page. In addition, two Health Department units, The Health Emergency Health Preparedness and Response Administration and the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration provide links in their unit page indexes to a FOIA Requests page listing their individual FOIA officers. | click here |
| Employee information: names, titles, salaries, dates of emloyment |
One the Department of Health's six units, the Addiction and Prevention and Recovery Administration, provides a key staff directory. Another, the Community Health Administration, provides an organization chart with employee names and titles. None of the six provides salary information or dates of employment. | click here |
| Staff manuals, instructions | The Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration has a Provider Manual for treatment of substance abuse. It is listed under Frequently Requested FOIA Materials on the unit's main page. | click here |
| Final opinions, orders | Not applicable. | |
| Interpretations of policies, rules, acts | The Addiction Administration's Provider Manual presents Service Definitions, Rates, Limitations, Eligibility Standards and Documentation Requirements. Governing Laws and Regulations for that unit are provided in the Frequently Requested FOIA Materials section. The Center for Policy, Planning and Epidemiology links to the D.C. Code of Municipal Regulations in its FOIA Information section. The Community Health Administration provides Interim Guidelines for Implementation of the "Student Access to Treatment Act" under its Child, Adolescent and School Health Bureau link on the unit's page. | click here |
| Regulatory and enforcement correspondence | The Addiction Administration posts the Choice in Drug Treatment Act of 2000 and The Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act of 1999 in its Frequently Requested FOIA Materials section. | click here |
| Account, voucher, contract information | The Community Health Administration posts Title V Federal Expenditures for 2002-2007 in a subsection titled Additional Information, then click Title V- Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. | click here |
| Minutes, all proceedings | Nothing found. | |
| Frequently requested FOIA records | The Addiction Administration lists its Frequently Requested FOIA Materials. The five other sub units do not. | click here |
| General index of records to be posted online | Nothing Found. |
FOIA CONTACT Information
Phillip Husband
Department of Health
825 North Capitol Street NE
Room 4118
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 442-5984
Fax: (202) 442-4797
Email: Phillip.Husband@dc.gov
Primary research for this audit was conducted by Howard University journalism students LeeSandra Alexandre and Melissa Noel while interning at the Workshop. The project was edited by Pete Weitzel, who is a board member at the DCOGC and a former managing editor of the Miami Herald. FOIA contact information is from DCOGC.
