September 20, 2005

The Michigan Department of Community Health’s Vital Records Office – along with 109 local vital records offices throughout the state – are working through a national association to assist Hurricane Katrina evacuees locate missing birth certificates in Louisiana, free of charge.

“We are working diligently through national channels to ensure that Hurricane Katrina evacuees receive their birth certificates as soon as possible,” said Janet Olszewski, MDCH Director. “A valid birth certificate is needed by many evacuees to enroll in school, get new forms of identification, and receive much needed benefits during this challenging time. We will help coordinate this process so evacuees can return to a normal semblance of life as soon as possible.”

The National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) has been in contact with Vital Records Staff in Louisiana and has worked out procedures that states may follow to assist those evacuees in their state who were born in Louisiana. MDCH’s Vital Records Office is coordinating this effort in Michigan, Olszewski said.

Evacuees who are currently in Michigan – and who were born in Louisiana – may go in-person to the MDCH Vital Records Office in Lansing, 3423 N. Martin Luther King Blvd, or to any one of the 109 local vital records offices located throughout the state of Michigan, and submit an application for a birth record. No mail-in orders can be accepted.

MDCH’s Vital Records Office will collect applications and submit them to the Louisiana Vital Records Office. There is no fee being charged to evacuees for this service.

There is one local vital records office in each county in Michigan, along with 26 city or township offices. To determine the closest vital records office, please check your local phone directory for the county or city clerk’s office. They will be able to provide you with directions to their office.

Questions on how evacuees in Michigan can obtain Louisiana birth certificates can be directed to Richard Wheat, Manager of the MDCH Vital Records & Health Data Services Section, at 517-335-9748.