‘Draft
9/16/81
W.H. Adams
4ORO7%
Dear Mrs. Rubica,
I was recently given your "Notice of Demand of Doctor/Patient Confidentiality”
dated September 1, 1981.
Because you have been involved with the Brookhaven program
for so many years, I thought I should first answer you myself rather than have the
Brookhaven Naticnal Laboratory respond through official channels,
First, let me reassure you that the Laboratory does treat patients” records
in accordance with ethical medical practices.
There has never been an instance
where a patient has been identified bypame in any publication relating to informaa
.
.
:
tion cbtained by the Laboratory in the Marshall Islands,
In this mest important
respect, your medical file has remained completely confidential,
Furthermore,
only the doctors and medicilly--related personnel on the BNL staff who are involved
in the Marshall Islands Study have access to your file here at Brookhaven, which,
along with all other records of Marshallese that are examined, are kept in locked .
rooms at our Hospital.
This is the usual practice in any hospital.
We may have,
of course, given some of your records in the past to the hospitals in Majuro or
Ebeye, so that doctors there would have the information if you were to become sick
while in the Marshall Islands.
Second, it is important for you to realize that benefit from the publication
of medical information gained in the Marshall Islands regarding radiation effects
is worldwide.
I understand why you wish your medical information to remain confidential.
Be assured, it will remain so, as it has in the past.
your "Notice", and decide to tell us to return it,
plained matters clearly enough to you.
you informally about the matter,
I hope you will reconsider
However, I may not have ex-
For this reason, I would like to talk to
I will return from our pediatric trip to the
Marshall Islands in early November,
[If it is all right with you, I would like
to contact you at that time in Honolulu,
Perhaps you could then explain your