{"id":10005,"date":"2025-03-01T14:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/morefaqsfoia\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T14:01:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:01:50","slug":"morefaqsfoia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/morefaqsfoia\/","title":{"rendered":"morefaqsfoia ~  Public Health Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) FAQs  &#8211; Delaware Health and Social Services &#8211; State of Delaware"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-swiftype-index=\"true\">\n\n\n\n  <br>\n\n  \n\n\n\n  \n\n  <div class=\"container\" id=\"main_header\">\n\n    \n\n\n\n <!-- BEGIN readspeaker div -->\n\n    <div class=\"rs_skip rsbtn rs_preserve\" id=\"readspeaker_button1\">\n\n      <a accesskey=\"L\" class=\"rsbtn_play\" href=\"https:\/\/app-na.readspeaker.com\/cgi-bin\/rsent?customerid=7262&#038;lang=en_us&#038;readid=main_content&#038;url=https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/morefaqsfoia.html\" title=\"Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker\">\n\n        <span class=\"rsbtn_left rsimg rspart\"><span class=\"rsbtn_text\"><span>Listen<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\n        <span class=\"rsbtn_right rsimg rsplay rspart\"><\/span>\n\n      <\/a>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- END readspeaker div -->\n\n\n\n\n\n    \n\n    <header class=\"pull-left\">\n\n      <h1><!--[type=EDIT name=\"Page Title\"]-->Public Health Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Frequently Asked Questions<!--[END]--><\/h1>\n\n    <\/header>\n\n    \n\n  <\/div><br>\n\n \n\n  <div class=\"container\">\n\n    <div class=\"row\">\n\n      <div class=\"col-md-3\" id=\"leftCol\">\n\n        <div class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\">\n\n          <div class=\"panel sectionmenu_panel\">\n\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\">\n\n              <p class=\"panel-title\"><a class=\"agency_nav\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapseOne\"><strong><i class=\"fa fa-align-justify fa-fw\"><\/i> Public Health Menu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n            <div class=\"panel-collapse collapse in\" id=\"collapseOne\">\n\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" id=\"clf_nav\">\n\n                  <ul class=\"nav nav-stacked nav-pills-clf\" id=\"agency_sidebar\">\n    <li><a href=\"\/dph\/\"><h2>Home <i class=\"fa fa-home fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a><\/li>\n    <li class=\"toplevel\"><a data-parent=\"#agency_sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#HomeMenu\"><h2>About <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n      <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"HomeMenu\">\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/about.html\">About DPH<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/sections.html\">Sections &#038; 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Wellness<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/healthyhomes.html\">Healthy Homes<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/healthywp.html\">Healthy Workplaces<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/lab\/labs.html\">Laboratory<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/feir.html\">Restaurant Inspections<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/screen.html\">Screening and Testing<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/chca\/dphwichominf01.html\">WIC<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/servicesadd.html\">Additional Services<\/a><\/li><li>\n      <\/li><\/ul>\n    <\/li>\n    <li class=\"toplevel\"><a data-parent=\"#sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#InformationMenu\"><h2>Information <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n        <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"InformationMenu\">\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/factsheetsaz.html\">A-Z Fact Sheets<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/pubreportsaz.html\">A-Z Publications &#038; Reports<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/diseasesandconditions.html\">Diseases &#038; 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What is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  A. The Delaware Supreme Court emphasizes public policies underlying the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to be to \u201censure\n\n\n  governmental accountability, inform the electorate, and acknowledge that public entities, as instruments of government, should not have\n\n\n  the power to decide what is good for the public to know.\u201d The Attorney General of Delaware further states, \u201cIt is vital in a\n\n\n  democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner so that our citizens shall have the opportunity to\n\n\n  observe the performance of public officials and to monitor the decisions that are made by such officials in formulating and executing\n\n\n  public policy; and further, it is vital that citizens have easy access to public records in order that the society remain free and\n\n\n  democratic.\u201d\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>\n\n\n  Q. Is all information covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  A. No, some information is exempt from release externally under FOIA. Some examples are:\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<ol>\n\n\n  <li>Personal, medical or pupil files\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Trade secrets and commercial or financial information\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Investigatory files\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Criminal files and criminal records\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Intelligence files\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Records specifically exempt by statute or common law\n\n\n    <ul>\n\n\n      <li>Federal statutes and regulations\n\n\n      <\/li>\n\n\n      <li>State statutes and regulations\n\n\n      <\/li>\n\n\n      <li>Constitutional exemptions\n\n\n      <\/li>\n\n\n      <li>Common law privileges\n\n\n      <\/li>\n\n\n    <\/ul>\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Charitable contributions\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Labor negotiations\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Pending or potential litigation\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Record of discussions held in executive session\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Persons with a permit to carry a concealed deadly weapon\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Public library users\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Department of Corrections records\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Investigative files maintained by the Violent Crimes Compensation\u00a0Board\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Visual or audio recordings of postmortem examinations in the\u00a0Office of Chief Medical Examiner\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Certain records that\u00a0if released could jeopardize security of State facilities or of its political subdivisions,\u00a0or could\n\n\n  facilitate the planning of a terrorist attack, or could\u00a0endanger the life or physical safety of an individual\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"xsmalltext\">\n\n\n  Reference for this statue is the Delaware Freedom of Information Act Policy Manual published in 1997 by the Delaware Department of\n\n\n  Justice.\u00a0\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>\n\n\n  Q. Where can I find more information about FOIA?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  A. The full text of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)\u00a0can be found in the <a class=\"anchors_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.delcode.state.de.us\/title29\/c100\/index.htm#TopOfPage\">Delaware Code (29 Del Code, Chapter\n\n\n  100)<\/a>\u00a0.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>\n\n\n  Q. How\u00a0can I request information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  A. The Division of Public Health has created an <a href=\"http:\/\/delaware.gov\/help\/foia_request.shtml?subj=DHSS\">online form<\/a> for\n\n\n  this purpose.\n\n\n<\/p>  <!--[END]-->\n\n  \n\n      <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><!-- \/container -->\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen Public Health Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Frequently Asked Questions Public Health Menu Home About About DPH Sections &#038; Programs Office Locations Contact Info Calendar Services A-Z Services Air &#038; Water Quality Birth, Death, &#038; Marriage Records Clinics Health Data &#038; Statistics Emergency Preparedness Health &#038; Wellness Healthy Homes Healthy Workplaces Laboratory Restaurant Inspections [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10005","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10005\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}