FOIA Policy

Download/Print Freedom of Information Act Policy

Procedure 10 Public Records – The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

  1. The following information is provided regarding the FOIA. It is the policy or the Gogebic Medical Care Facility (GMCF) that all requests from the public, either from private individuals or organizations shall be directed to the Administrator for review and approval. Employees of GMCF will not provide requested information without the authorization of the Administrator.
  2. Under the Act records retained by a public body may be inspected by any person. A person is also entitled to receive copies of the record upon payment of a reasonable charge.A request for a record may be made orally or in writing and a response must be given with five business days unless there are unusual circumstances that make it difficult to obtain the record. If there are unusual circumstances, an additional ten business days are allowed. The public body must respond to the request by either granting it or issuing a written notice explaining the reasons for denial.
  3. The following records are exempt from disclosure:
    • records constituting a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy
    • investigating records compiled for law enforcement purposes
    • records that would prejudice the ability to maintain security at a penal institution
    • records exempt by statute
    • records exempt under the Federal Family Educational and Privacy Act
    • exempt records furnished by one public body to another
    • trade secrets or commercial information voluntarily provided upon a promise of confidentiality
    • attorney-client privilege
    • other legally recognized privileges
    • bid proposals
    • real estate appraisals
    • test questions and answers
    • medical counseling or psychological facts or evaluations
    • advisory communications within a public body or between public bodies
    • law enforcement communications codes
    • the location of archeological sites
    • testing data to determine whether bidders’ products meet specifications
    • academic transcripts pertaining to a student who is delinquent in payment
    • record sof campaign committees
    • records of a police agency that would interfere with law enforcement or endanger a law enforcement or endanger a law enforcement officer
  4. The public body must separate exempt and non-exempt material and must furnish the non- exempt material upon request.