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Program increases access to birth documents
Local health departments are using a new service offered by the Ohio Department of Health that enables residents to purchase certified copies of Ohio birth certificates regardless of the county in which the birth occurred.
Previously, for example, certified copies of birth certificates of people born in Mahoning County could be purchased only from the Youngstown City Health Department, which is the birth-certificate registrar for Mahoning County, or from the Ohio Department of Health’s Office of Vital Statistics.
Under the new state program, local health departments can access the state database and issue a certified birth abstract for Ohio birth records dating back to 1908. Participation by local health departments is optional, and fees differ from department to department.
The Youngstown City Health Department Vital Statistics Division will opt into the state program when all of its employees have completed required online training, said Lillian Cunningham, executive assistant to the health commissioner. It is hoped that will be within a month, she said.
The Warren City Health Department, which issues certified birth certificates for Trumbull County, is using the state database and said the program is working well. A spokeswoman said that two or three people a day seek certified birth certificates.
In Columbiana County, four health departments issue certified birth certificates and all are using the state program.
Abstract birth certificates issued through the state program look a little different from what people are used to, but they contain all the standard birth information and are accepted by all local, state and federal agencies, said Candice Pierson, registrar of vital statistics for the Salem City Health District.
The abstracts are printed on high-quality security paper that is difficult to duplicate. They do not contain protected medical information or original signatures, but they enhance legibility, which is a good feature for older birth records that were handwritten and are difficult to read, she said.
Also issuing certified birth certificates through the state program in Columbiana County are the Columbiana County Health Department, East Liverpool Health Department and the East Palestine Health Department.
To find information on local health departments in Ohio, visit www.odh.ohio.gov, and click on “Local Health Departments.” The list that appears, however, does not indicate which departments have opted into the program, state officials said.