On Friday, May 28, during a meeting of the executive committee of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs), senior officials from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) announced an important policy change.
Effective immediately, NCHS will make most of its data sets that researchers access in the FSRDCs available without requiring the physical presence of a Census Bureau administrator. This policy change, which PAA and the Association of Population Centers (APC) have been urging for years, will make it much more convenient for researchers, with approved projects, to use restricted NCHS data in the FSRDCs. While a few NCHS datasets will still require administrator presence, the ones population scientists use most frequently in the FSRDCs, including the National Health Interview Survey, National Survey of Family Growth, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, are available for 24-7 access.
In response to this announcement, PAA President Robert Hummer and APC President Sara Curran sent NCHS Director Brian Moyer a letter, thanking him for his leadership and for granting this significant shift in policy.
#latest-news#GPAC2021#Census#Data