Freedom of Information at Upstate (FOIL)
Welcome to the SUNY Upstate Medical University Freedom of Information Law guide. The Freedom of Information (FOIL) law, effective January 1, 1978, reaffirms your right to know how your government agencies operate. It provides rights of access to records reflective of governmental decisions and policies that affect the lives of every New Yorker. Please note, FOIL does not pertain to medical records. Information about and requests for copies of personal medical records can be made at the Clinical Data Services web site.
The most important step in the process of requesting access to public information of SUNY Upstate Medical University is understanding how to obtain records. SUNY Upstate is an agency of the State of New York who maintains accessible records as defined under the Freedom of Information Law. Although requests for records may be made in a variety of formats, using one of the sample request forms contained in this guide will help the SUNY Upstate Records Access Officer to better understand specifically what records you are requesting. The Records Access Officer has the duty of responding to a records request on behalf of SUNY Upstate.
Under the Freedom of Information Law all records are presumed accessible. In very limited circumstances, however, access to records may be denied because of their content or purpose. If your request is denied the Records Access Officer will tell you in the response letter why access to the records is being denied and provide you with information on the process for appealing a denial of access.
This information guide is a summary of the process for helping you to understand how to request public records from SUNY Upstate Medical University. The regulations in full that describe our complete policies and processes are available and posted for public inspection on the premises of SUNY Upstate. For more information on the Freedom of Information Law in general the Committee on Open Government is charged with ensuring that the law is followed. Periodically there are revisions to the Freedom of Information Law so it is important to keep abreast of what’s new in order to be sure that your request for access and an agency’s response are in concert with the revisions.
The Records Access Officer at SUNY Upstate Medical University can be reached at:
Office of the Internal Audit and FOIL Officer
750 East Adams Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: (315) 464-4692
Email: foil@casabo.net
For detailed information regarding how to exercise your right to access records of SUNY Upstate, please choose from the subject toolbar on the left of this page.