The Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) is committed to providing the public, media and researchers with health statistics and data tabulations in a manner that balances individual privacy needs while maximizing informational detail. These guidelines direct DPHS personnel in making decisions about the release of information to researchers, public health agencies and the general public under specific NH Statutes.
For the purposes of the Public Health Data Release Guidelines (7 pages), information is sorted into two general classifications, public information and information that is safeguarded. Information is further categorized and treated in accordance with its identifying characteristics. Categories of information included personal identifying information, constructive identifying information and information that is non-identifying. These guidelines attempt to draw a distinction between a release of information that could potentially result in the inadvertent disclosure of an individual's identity, from a release of information that is strictly an aggregate summary of data that presents no risk of such disclosure. As no guideline can perfectly address this distinction, all requests will be made on a case-by-case basis. All releases of surveillance data described in these guidelines are subject to the discretion of the DHHS releasing official. |
