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Birth Newsletters

Matters of Record Newsletter Archive

Beginning in January 2020, CHS will publish monthly newsletters that communicate updates and information to all of Oregon's Vital Records Partners.

January 2022 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Vital Records Public Counter Reopening Delayed
Adding a Birth Attendant to OVERS
REALD Data Collection Starting January 1
Additional Types of Disposition: Natural Organic Reduction and Alkaline Hydrolysis
Updated Resources for Counties
Congratulations, Johanna!

December 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Reopening of Vital Records Public Counter
Valid ID Required to Purchase Certificates
Go Live Date for REALD Data Collection
Reminder about SB850: Domicile Unknown
HB 2120 & Increase of Death Filing Fee for 2022
Using Microsoft Teams for Triennial Reviews
Clarifying When to Issue a Birth Certificate

November 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Reminder about OAR 333-011-0338
Reopening Reminder
Domicile Unknown
Vital Records Email Contact Correction
Verifications
How to Obtain an Authentication (Apostille) from the Secretary of State
Registrar and Deputy Registrar Commissions
Welcome, Selina RedBird
Welcome, MacKenzie Hogan Hays
Welcome, Krista Harper
Farewell, Ryan Sanders

October 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Vital Records Fees for Oregonians Affected by a State or Federal Emergency Declaration
Informants Are Not Automatically Eligible to Receive a Death Certificate
Asking REALD Questions
Alias Name on Death Records
FEMA Funeral Assistance Program
Clarification for Previously Published Article
Farewell to Caroline Zanot
Verification of Live Birth
Welcome, Soojean Kim!

September 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Vital Records Public Counter Reopening Delay
Encourage Parents to Order Birth Certificates Within One Year
OVERS Help Desk Phone Number: Not Available for the Public
Combat Status
Reminders for Amending a Death Record
County Training Webinar: Amendments
The Benefits of Using a Barcode Scanner

August 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Reopening of Vital Records Public Counter
REALD Updates for Birth Information Specialists
Helpful Contact Info for Funeral Directors
Authenticator App as an Option to Sign or Certify Death Records
County Triennial Review Update

July 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Did You Know Your Work Collecting Birth Data is Published for Use Locally and Nationally?
The State Needs Your Help to Meet Federal Requirements for Paternity Establishment
Timely Registration of Records for Indigent Decedents
Review of the Death Records Status Line
Applicants and Registrants with Multiple Last Names on Certificates
What does the Red Text in the Status Line Mean?
Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity-Affidavit Update

June 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Wildfire Fees
Update to Acceptance of Expired ID's
Introduction to REALD
The Benefits of Having a BIS Notary at Your Facility When AOPs Need to Be Notarized
Legislative Update
When Processing Birth Order Requests
Accepting Credit Cards as Payments
Working From Home (WFH)
Managing Intaglio Paper Supply

May 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Drop Box Option for Vital Records Orders
New Dashboard for Baby Names
Correcting the Date and Time of Death
Introducing our County Vital Records Work group

April 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program
Creating Parent/Parent Certificates
Reporting Source of Payment for Delivery
Submitting Accurate and Complete Affidavits
Authenticator App as an Option to Sign or Certify a Death Record
Verify that Correction Affidavits are Accurate and Complete
OVERS Tips - Using the Issuance History
Welcome, Nick Bickford!
Welcome, Dee Humphries!
Welcome, Barbara Campbell!

March 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Notify OVERS When Users Leave
Limiting Use of "Unknown" Values
Add Comments to Birth Records
New! Oregon Mortality Data Dashboards
24-Hour Notice
Welcome, Amy Gehrke!

February 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Birth Corrections Under One Year
Printing AOPs in OVERS
Signing Acknowledgment of Paternity forms at your facility
Vital Records Fees for Oregonians Affected by the Wildfires under Executive Oregon No. 20-35 is set to expire March 1,2021 at 11:59 PM
County Trainings
Information on COVID-19 related deaths

January 2021 Newsletter

Featured Stories

OVERS New Modern Look Reminder
Vital Record Office Closed to the Public
Update to Acceptance of Expired ID's
Notify OVERS When Users Leave
Abandoning a Death Record - Funeral Homes
Connecting to the Right Unit for Your Questions
Stay informed about COVID-19

December 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Modern Look for OVERS
Custom Birth Worksheets
Who is the informant?
Renewal for Registrar and Deputy Registrars
Guidelines for Working from Home
Live Birth Verification for Home Births Without a Licensed Attendant
Counties Sending CHS Security Paper Numbers to Void
Kelly Stacey is Retiring
Introduction for Robyn Hjermstad
Welcome Ron Sarayudej to the OVERS Team!
Stay informed about COVID-19

November 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Leaving Voicemail
Password Reset Guide
New! Oregon Birth and Pregnancy Data Dashboards
Birth Dashboards Quiz
Home Burial Reminder
New OVERS Medical Certifiers and Authenticator App Users
Your Monthly Birth Report
Welcome to the Partners Services Training and Communication Team, Caroline Zanot

October 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Valid ID Required to Purchase Vital Event Records
Vital Records Fees for Oregonians Affected by the Wildfires under Executive Oregon No. 20-35
Welcome to The OVERS Team, Bailey Pederson!
Birth Records Amendments for Children Under One Year of Age
Required Certificates for BIS
CHS Excess Deaths Dashboard
Checking Intaglio Paper
Customers Requests to Change a Marriage Record

September 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Oregon State Vital Records Counters Closed to Public Through December 31, 2020
Welcome to the Amendments Team, Luis Alba-Sanchez
Welcome to the Registration Team, Gretel Bohn
Birth Information Specialists and the Affidavit of Paternity Form
Early Hearing Detection
Clarification for Funeral Directors Using the Authenticator App
Funeral Home Reminder on Pronouncement and Place of Death Page
Correcting the Date of Death
County Training Webinar Announcement
What Cannot Be Done with Working White Copies
Entering Intaglio Paper Numbers

August 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

OHA COVID-19 Resources
The State Needs Your Help to Meet Federal Requirements for Paternity Establishment
Deadline to Submit BIS Training Certificates: September 30, 2020
Surrogate Mothers
New Authenticator App for OVERS is Live for Funeral Homes!
Importance of Properly Completing The Veterans Combat Status and Combat Zone Questions
County Quiz

July 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

What is WIC?
Paternity Affidavit (Form 45-21) Reminder
BIS Training Certificates Due September 30, 2020!
What is a Freestanding Birth Center?
Encouraging Medical Certifiers to Use OVERS
New Authenticator App for OVERS is Live Next Month for Funeral Homes!
Quick Start Guides for 24-Hour Notices and Final Disposition Authorization
How Parents Can Make Changes to a Birth Record
Final Disposition Form Quick Guide and Check List

June 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

OVERS Quick Guide to Prevent Duplicate Records
Comments in OVERS Records are Not Monitored
Collecting COVID-19 Infection (Confirmed or Presumed) on Birth Records
How Parents Can Make Changes to a Birth Record
AOP Training Sessions
BIS Training Reminder
Required Information: Informant
The Importance of Completing an Order in OVERS
References to Death with Dignity Should Not be on a Death Record

May 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Clarification of How To Report Preeclampsia vs Eclampsia
Fetal Death Disposition
BIS Training - Deadline Extended!
Home Burial Packet FAQ
How a County Registrar is Appointed
Congratulations Jen Southworth and Welcome Sheryl Wallace!

April 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Paternity Establishment
Processing Birth Records at Remote Locations
BIS Training Reminder
Releasing Working Copies to Families
Alternative Authorization for Disposition
County Vital Records Office Closures
Authenticator App Materials
Staffing Shortages and Vital Records Office Closures

March 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

BIS Training Reminder
How to Read the Monthly Birth Facility Performance Report
Things to Know About Requesting a Social Security Card
Removal Registration for Out-of-state Funeral Homes
New Authenticator App for OVERS is Live for Medical Certifiers!
24-Hour Notice Report
Welcome Melissa Shaw!

February 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Working Copy Reminder
Oregon Paternity Establishment Percentage Results for The 2018-2019 Fiscal Year
Submitting a SSA-721 Form, Statement of Death by Funeral Directors
Impact of Unknowns
Newsletter Feedback Survey

January 2020 Newsletter

Featured Stories

Required BIS and Midwife Training
OVERS Updates
Senate Bill 298
New Partner Services Team

Spring 2019 Volume 3

Featured Stories

Using registration work queues to improve timely registration
What do I do when a birth occurs in an ambulance
What are Safe Harbor/Haven babies?
Register Births for Oregon Registered Domestic Partnerships
Birth occurred at your facility - Record must be created
Use special characters in OVERS
Canadian provinces
Reminder to use the right fax number

Spring 2019 Volume 2

Featured Stories

When a Birth Information Specialist needs to change a name
When a baby is not named at birth
What are some commonly requested birth amendments within the first year?
Improving accuracy
NEW - Birth Information Specialist training eLearning tool update
New form number for fetal death disposition permit
Always validate a record
Add comments
Staff Changes

Spring 2019 Volume 1

Featured Stories

Limit the use of "Unknown"
When the date associated with other pregnancy outcomes is unknown?
Locate correct information for prenatal care section in OVERS FAQs
Enter previous pregnancy outcomes correctly

February 2018

Featured Stories

Update: New Birth Information Specialist training begins June 2018
New resource: Fetal Death Reporting Quick Reference Guide
New fetal death worksheets now available
Encourage parents to order birth certificates within one year
Thank you, BIS Workgroup!
Announcing new webinar dates for 2018
Reminder: Reduced fee for additional copies of records has ended
Parting thoughts from Krystalyn Salyer, OVERS Trainer
New Data Processing Unit Team Lead

October 2017

Featured Stories

Letter from the State Registrar
Fees for additional copies of records increase Jan. 1, 2018
Changing a name by the Birth Information Specialist
Creating parent/parent certificates
Why are we gathering information on race and ethnicity?
Paternity establishment update
January 2018: New fetal death worksheets coming
Wanted – newsletter topics
Frequent contacts

July 2017

Featured Stories

New birth and fetal death worksheets – updates
New feature for trial of labor question
New training program with continuing education credit
Coming Soon in OVERS
Birth certificates: sooner and better
Please meet our newest manager: Ryan Sanders

May 2017

Featured Stories

Birth information specialists: New title and workgroup
AOP forms are for biological parents
Including a second, same-sex parent to a birth record
Important update about affirming and certifying a fetal death
Why hepatitis B information is important

Birth information specialist challenge
New birth worksheets timeline
Out with the old, in with the new: Shred your old order forms
Updates to hearing screening page
Cynthia Roeser is retiring
After 39 years with the state of Oregon, Carol Sanders is retiring

February 2017

Featured Stories

Oregon paternity establishment percentage results
New Amendment Guide
New national study on causes of fetal death
Trial of labor
How to open secure emails from state agencies
The Training Corner — Canadian province
New e-Learning tool for Birth Information Specialists
Birth Clerks to Birth Information Specialists

November 2016

Featured Stories

Adoption expected question
The training corner
Fetal death disposition permits
New statistics on pre-pregnancy BMI
The Oregon Birth Certificate Brochure - Coming Soon
December deadline for feedback on updated worksheets
We want your suggestions
Frequent contacts

July 2016 (Updated 01/2017)

Featured Stories

The training corner - How do babies get Social Security Numbers?
What you need to know about fetal death reports
Reporting trial of labor
Principal source of payment survey - What we learned

We want your suggestions
Frequent contacts

June 2016

Featured Stories

The training corner - When a baby is not named at birth
Accurate birth attendant titles needed
Time of delivery
Natality quality reports
Results of payment source survey
How to find recent newsletters

March 2016

Featured Stories

Use of State parent and facility worksheets is required
Birth clerk survey - We need your help!
Update birth attendant list
Births to surrogate mothers
Parent/parent certified copies for married couples
Do not share your OVERS user name or password
Joyce Grant-Worley—All About Her

November 2015

Featured Stories

Did you know your work collecting birth data is published and used locally and nationally?
Multiple Corrections? One Amendment!
What to do when the mother is married and does not want to list the father on the birth certificate
New hours: Vital Records Counter
Who is responsible for reporting the birth?
Are you getting your birth certificates in on time?
New vital record fees mean new forms

July 2015

Featured Stories

REMINDER: faxing authorization to request social security number
Informant’s relationship to child
Vital records fee increase
Automation to increase timeliness of high risk infant follow-up
Sample high risk infant follow-up letter
Introducing the new request for paper birth certificates
Sample request for paper birth certificates form

April 2015

Featured Stories

Birth record submission timeliness: achieving five-day requirement
Obtaining correct names for records
New video for paternity rights & responsibilities AOP
New - standard birth worksheets available online
Enumeration at Birth - frequently asked questions about requesting social security numbers
Fetal death reporting reminder
Health Statistics loses valued staff member

January 2015

Featured Stories

New year, new worksheets
New social security number request procedure
Enumeration at birth procedure
Correction: Paternity rights & responsibilities - update
Oregon exceeds paternity establishment percentage required
How Oregon ranks in low-risk cesarean deliveries
Establishing paternity for out of facility births
Coming soon - updated paper certificate of live birth

November 2014

Featured Stories

Birth and fetal death certificates: now with fewer items!
Only cigarettes count now
Timely registration: Life happens, and it can’t wait
Confidentiality of passwords
Vital records work - meet the team
What classifies as a “home birth?”
New procedure: new & custom birth worksheets
Important new procedure: social security enumeration at birth requests

July 2014

ERRATA: Paternity rights article is no longer accurate. The YouTube video links provided are out of date. Please see our Paternity page for current recommended practices.

Featured Stories

Fetal death disposition permits
Attendant reporting for C-section births
Efficient electronic amendments
Helpful information for phone messages or emails
Vital records order forms
“Parent/Parent” birth certificates available to recognize same-sex marriages
Paternity rights and responsibilities - update
(See note at left for article update)
Paternity establishment percentage update
HB 2997 mandatory midwife licensing and birth records

April 2014

Featured Stories

Changes to vital records law and rules
Place of birth and attendant when baby is born at home
USA needs to be spelled out in address fields
Tidbits of statistics
Just for midwives

January 2014

Featured Stories

Legal recognition—same-sex marriages
Updating place of birth
OVERS assistance now available for hospital birth certifiers
Hospital performance reports update
Fetal death case study
Contact information
Just for midwives

October 2013

Featured Stories

Hospital birth record performance reports
Vital Records Modernization bill
Cigarette smoking reported per day
Tips on using OVERS for fetal death reporting
Now available: OVERS training for fetal death reporting
Online resource roundup
Contacts
Just for midwives

July 2013

Featured Stories

New vital records law starts January 1, 2014
HB 2093: Attending out of facility births of close relatives
Reporting same-sex parents on the birth certificate
Don’t share working copies of the birth certificate
“Unknown” responses too frequent
Reporting breastfeeding at discharge
Fetal death reporting: Estimated time of fetal death
It’s okay not to share: OVERS user accounts
New laws for out of facility births
Contact numbers

May 2013

Featured Stories

Responding to birth record errors
Trial of labor in OVERS
Changes in birth certificates requested by parents
Parents’ place of birth—Canada
Fetal death transit permits demystified
Timeliness of records
Certifier must be the attendant for births not in a facility
Trial of labor chart
Contact numbers

January 2013

Featured Stories

New ways to order birth certificates
Statistical corrections
Staffing changes
House Bill 2380: Mother’s intended place of delivery
Oregon paternity establishment percentage
More staff for the OVERS help desk phone line
Helpful information for phone messages

October 2012

Featured Stories

OVERS new look & feel
Common OVERS error messages
What makes a good comment?
Reporting unknowns
Updating staff members
Error report consolidation update
Common errors on marital status
New business reply envelopes
Improving data quality: mother’s worksheet
Just for midwives insert

July 2012

Featured Stories

Physician is attendant at Cesarean section deliveries
Why parents cannot have a copy of the birth worksheets
Correcting errors on birth records
Reporting fetal deaths that occur at home
Babies’ names on their Social Security Card
More questions about domestic partners
New communication process: From faxes to e-mails
Improving data quality: Pregnancy history
Just for Midwives insert

April 2012

Featured Stories

Confidentiality of information on the worksheet
Improving data quality: prenatal care
When a baby is not named at birth
Surrogate mothers
Birth certificates for babies of same sex parents
Reporting accurate titles for birth attendants
Update on new birth questions
Adding special characters

January 2012

Featured Stories

Physician is attendant at Cesarean section deliveries
Is bigger better?
House Bill 2380: Mother’s intended place of delivery
OVERS Help Desk
Place of birth
Timeliness update article
Staff turnover? Let us know

To Subscribe

News, techniques, and tips for our partners who file birth records in Oregon. If you would like to sign up to receive this newsletter electronically, email chs.partnerservices@dhsoha.state.or.us