Why the Retention of Public Health Records Matters

Andrew Weisbecker wrote this article for the Journal of Environmental Health. In the article, Mr. Weisbecker addresses the need for public health agencies to put in place effective records and information management programs, establishing retention requirements based upon records' legal, fiscal, administrative, and historical requirements and values. He writes, "Without such requirements, organizations either destroy records that should be retained or retain everything, thereby taking a legal risk or assuming unnecessary costs."