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 the name of the patient, when the patient was receiving services, the patient’s date of birth, the information needed, and the reason the information is being requested.
2. Buffalo PC must receive a request in writing from the patient in order to release any information. The patient must sign and date the request.
3. If it is determined that the family member is to 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 nor do we acknowledge requests for information via the Internet.
Note: If information is being sought for genealogy purposes, under agency policy and current interpretation of federal regulations governing the privacy of individually identifiable health information (45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164), the information cannot be released.
Birth records, death records, and marriage records are considered Vital Records in New York State and generally can be accessed by the public. If the requestor is interested in exploring this option, more information can be obtained on how to obtain these records on the New York State Department of Health’s Vital Records webpage.
Questions can be referred to the Health Information Management Department at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, 716-816-2146.