Environmental Health

Confidentiality of Health Data

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is the official organization within the State of New Jersey responsible for collecting information on a variety of health matters in New Jersey, including deaths, births, injuries, illnesses, impairments, hazardous exposures, and utilization of health care services and facilities. The NJDOH is also responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate mechanisms to acquire, produce, and safeguard the confidentiality of these matters.

A variety of laws, regulations and executive orders bar disclosure of personal identifying information associated with the collection of health data. The NJDOH recognizes the inherent privacy rights of individuals and also recognizes the need to maintain a proper balance between each individual’s right to privacy and society’s desire for information on the health of New Jersey’s citizens. The NJDOH’s Data Release Policy addresses the safeguarding of confidential health information within the NJDOH, the circumstances under which confidential health information is released, and issues regarding the integrity and accuracy of health data.

Health information available on the EPHT public portal complies with the NJDOH Data Release Policy. Data are summarized or suppressed as needed to prevent the disclosure of personal identifying health information.

Last Reviewed: 9/28/2016