Jonathan Gerhardson v. Department of Public Health (SPR 20253362)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records November 26, 2025 SPR25/3362 Helen Rush-Lloyd Records Access Officer Department of Public Health 250 Washington Street Boston, MA 02108 Dear Ms. Rush-Lloyd: I have received the petition of Jonathan Gerhardson appealing the nonresponse of the Department of Public Health (Department) to a request for public records. See G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). On November 13, 2025, Mr. Gerhardson requested, …a complete and unredacted electronic copy of all data from the REDCap project (or projects) containing survey responses and associated data submitted by Massachusetts municipalities in accordance with the state subdivision agreement of the national opioid settlement. To ensure the production of a complete and usable database, this request specifically seeks the following electronic records using the export functions available within the REDCap platform: [1] Full Data Set Export: A complete data export with the “Full Data Set” permission level selected. No de-identification, hashing of records IDs, removal of identifier fields, or date shifting should be applied. [2] Export Format: the data should be provided in the most comprehensive format available. The preferred format is the REDCap XML file which contains both metadata and data. If this format is not feasible, please provide the data as a CSV file (raw data) accompanied by all associated REDCap-generated syntax files (for SAS, R, SPSS, Stata). This ensures that all data, labels, and coded values are interpretable. [3] User-Submitted Attachments: A ZIP file of all uploaded files for all records, as generated by the “Other Export Options” functionality. The attachments within this ZIP file should be in their original, native format. One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832 • Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us

Helen Rush-Lloyd SPR25/3362 Page 2 November 26, 2025 [4] Data Dictionary: A complete copy of the project’s Data Dictionary. This is necessary to understand the variable names, field labels, coded values for multiple-choice fields, and validation rules. [5] Supporting Documentation: Any and all supporting documentation, codebooks, or user guides associated with the REDCap project that are necessary to interpret the data fields and structure. [6] A blank survey form. Claiming to not yet have received responsive records, Mr. Gerhardson petitioned this office and this appeal, SPR25/3362, was opened as a result. Despite being notified of the opening of this appeal, it remains unclear whether the Department has provided a response. Accordingly, the Department is ordered to provide Mr. Gerhardson with a response to his request, provided in a manner consistent with this order, the Public Records Law and its Regulations within ten (10) business days. A copy of any such response must be provided to this office. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of the response to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. Mr. Gerhardson may appeal the substantive nature of the Department’s response within ninety (90) days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Sincerely, Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records cc: Jonathan Gerhardson