Public Information Clearance Procedures

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Public Health Service
Division of Indian Health
Washington 25, DC

DIVISION OF INDIAN HEALTH CIRCULAR NO. 63-08

1. PURPOSE.  Clearance of all information materials prepared by employees of the Division of Indian Health for the public and for professional audiences is required by Division Headquarters, BMS, Public Health Service, and by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.  The requirement applies to all personnel of the Division, including those on detail to agencies outside the Department.

   This circular supplements the "Public Health Service Guide to Public Information Clearance Procedures" issued January 1 1960.  In the Appendix of that Guide are included the basic issuances of the Department and of the Service stating the clearance requirements:

   Publications and reports Bulletins No, 2 "Public Reporting Clearance Definitions Responsibilities, and Procedures," issued by the Department in April 1957.

   "Public Reporting Clearance."  a summary of Publications and Reports Bulletin No. 2, issued by the Department in March 1959.

   Public Health Service General Circular No. 13, on Public Reporting Clearance, issued September 27, 1950.

2. DIVISION CLEARANCE OFFICERS.  The following are authorized as Division Clearance Officers and shall have responsibilities as outlined:

   Clearance Officers	Area of Authority
   Public Information Officer	Division of Foreign Quarantine
   Public Information Officer	Division of Hospitals
   Public Information Officer	Division of Indian Health

   Division Clearance Officers shall be responsible for the clearance of materials prepared within their Division for publication or presentation to the general public or professional public.  They shall clear material for technical validity, suitability for intended use, general quality, and conformance within established policy.

   They shall clear material for technical validity, suitability for intended use, general quality, and conformance with established policy.

   They shall also be responsible for determining those materials that require clearance by the Bureau Clearance Officer; and for obtaining necessary program and administrative clearances within their Divisions before referring materials to the Bureau Clearance Officer.  Division Clearance Officers will, when necessary, refer materials to other Divisions and Bureaus for review before referring them to the Bureau Clearance Officer.  Names and comments of all persons reviewing the material shall be transmitted with the clearance copies.

3. BUREAU CLEARANCE OFFICER. The Chief of Information, Bureau of Medical Services, is designated as Bureau Clearance Officer.

   The Bureau Clearance Officer shall be responsible for the clearance of material for publication or presentation to the general public or professional public which is prepared within the Divisions of the Bureau or within the Office of the Chief of the Bureau and involving the following:  Policy; legislation; more than one program or activity of the Bureau; material relating to the programs or activities of other Bureaus, other operating agencies of the Department, or other Government agencies; professional papers for presentation or publication.

   The Bureau Clearance Officer shall clear material for technical validity, suitability for intended use, general quality, and conformance with established policy.

   He shall also be responsible for determining those materials that require clearance by the Office of the Surgeon General; and for obtaining necessary program administrative clearances within the Bureau before referring materials to the Office of the Surgeon General.

   The Bureau Clearance Officer shall undertake clearances with other Bureaus when necessary, if this has not been done previously by the originating Division.

4. DETAILS AND PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HANDLING CLEARANCE.

   The following outlined material elaborates on clearance policies and procedures and gives practical suggestions on how to handle the details of clearance.

   SUBMIT PAPERS TO DIVISION		Professional papers must be cleared in advance for presentation or publication. Personnel on duty in hospitals, clinics, and other field institutions or DIH will submit papers to the Chief of the Division.  The Division shall review each professional paper before submission to the Bureau Clearance Officer, and indicate clearance action.
   ALLOW TWO WEEKS FOR CLEARANCE	Three double-spaced copies of each paper must be submitted. Allow two weeks for clearance after the paper is received in the Division.
   REPORT PUBLICATION	After a paper has been published, the author should send a copy of the publication to the Division, including full name and title of author and co-authors, name of publication, date, volume, and page numbers.
   PAPERS FOR PHS CLINICAL SOCIETY	Since the PHS Clinical Society meetings are not open to the public or the press, papers need to be cleared for presentation at these sessions.  Papers to be published following the meetings must be submitted for clearance.  Authors are urged to offer their papers to professional publication.

   Narcotic Addiction

   All presentations -- written, oral, or visual--to audiences outside the Service in which any aspect of narcotic addiction is discussed by BMS personnel must receive prior clearance by the Division and by the Bureau Clearance Officer.

   Press-radio-TV requests for information on narcotic addiction, or visits to the Lexington and Fort Worth PHS, Hospitals, must be cleared in advance by the Division Information Officer.

   The only exception to this regulation follows; staff members of the PHS Hospitals in Lexington and Fort Worth may discuss their hospital treatment programs with local audiences without Division clearance.  Personnel who are not at these two hospitals must clear local presentations.

   Press-Radio-TV

   LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS EVENTS	It is essential that the Public Health Service report its activities to the Public and the health professions. Local news events involving the Public Health Service should be reported to the appropriate Division Information Officer or to the Chief of Information, BMS, immediately by telephone, especially if there is a possibility that the news might become' of national interest; for example, participation by a PHS hospital in aiding victims of an airplane crash.  Outstanding achievements and unusual events which might make news reports of national interest should also be reported.  The Information Officer can be of assistance in making arrangements for press coverage and in preparing material.
   PRESS RELEASES	Press releases issued by headquarters staff must be cleared by Division and Bureau Information Officers.  Medical Officers of BMS who are on detail to agencies outside the Service should clear releases with the Information Officers of the agencies where they are assigned, also with the Chief of Information, BMS.
   PRESS INTERVIEWS	Requests for interviews of headquarters staff by reporters should be cleared in advance with the Division Information Officer, the Chief of Information, BMS.  When this is impractical because of lack of time, Information Officers should be notified as soon as possible by telephone.
   RADIO-TV	All requests for participation by DIH headquarters personnel on radio or TV programs must be cleared in advance, and details on the type of program, subject matter, and other participants must be reported to the Division Information Officer or the Chief of Information, BMS. Requests for information to be used on radio or TV programs should be cleared in advance when time permits.  When time does not permit, the Division Information Officer or Chief of Information, BMS, must be notified by telephone of such requests.
   FOR OUTSIDE DISTRIBUTION	Publications Any publication that is to be issued for distribution outside the Service must be cleared in advance, including art work, charts and photographs.
   FOR INTERNAL DISTRIBUTION	Publications prepared for distribution only to PHS personnel need not be cleared.  Copies should be forwarded to the appropriate Division Clearance Officer.
   SPEECHES AND SPEECH NOTES	Speeches In the headquarters offices, the materials to be cleared include speeches and notes to be used by speakers.  For speeches to be delivered by field officials, Indian or Alaska Native Area Directors may prescribe such clearances as are sufficient for their purposes, except that all speeches dealing with policy or legislative matters or discussing the activities or programs of another Bureau, another operating agency of the Department or another Government agency must be referred through Division and Bureau clearances channels to the Office of the Surgeon General.
   EXHIBITS	Exhibits, Films, etc. For exhibits that will be shown at major meetings or other public events, complete text and rough drawings of art work, or a model, must be submitted to the Division Information Officer for review in advance.
   FILMS, FILM STRIPS, ETC.	Complete details of plans for production of films, film strips, TV, or radio programs must be cleared in advance.  Scripts and scenarios must be submitted in final form for advance review by the Division Information Officer.