Requesting Information About Patients

Family members interested in obtaining information about relatives who may have been a patient at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center must follow this procedure:

1. The request must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center and must include:

• patient name
• dates the patient received services
• patient date of birth
• information needed
• reason the information is being requested

2. Buffalo PC must receive a request in writing from the patient to release any information. The patient must sign and date the request.

3. If it is determined that the requestor can receive the information, it will be mailed to the requestor. There is a copy fee of $0.75 per page plus postage. We do not send information via the Internet. We do not acknowledge requests for information via the Internet.

Note: We do not release information for genealogy purposes per agency policy and current interpretation of federal regulations governing the privacy of individually identifiable health information (45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164).

Birth records, death records, and marriage records are considered Vital Records in New York State and generally can be accessed by the public. If you are interested in exploring this option, visit the New York State Department of Health’s Vital Records webpage.

Questions? Contact the Health Information Management Department at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, 716-816-2146.