In accordance with the Maryland Department of Health’s (MDH) Record Management Policy 01.05.06​, MDH’s Records Management Program ensures the continual, economic, efficient, and secure management of the Department’s records. Located in the Office of Internal Controls and Audit Compliance (IAC) at 201 W. Preston Street, the MDH Records Management Program is responsible for maintaining all Records Inventory and Retention Schedules, managing the Certificate of Records Disposal requests and the Records Transmittal requests for MDH’s records. All of MDH’s record materials, its programs, facilities, boards, commissions, and local health departments (LHDs) are ”public records” (or “records of public officials”) and are subject to State rules on Maryland’s public records. 

​"Records", "Record materials", or "Public records" include any paper, correspondence, form, photograph, recording, microfilm, magnetic tape, diskette, compact disk (CD), digital video disc (DVD) file, table, chart, map, drawing, database, or other documents (including e-mail), regardless of physical form or characteristics, that has been made or received by a unit of MDH in connection with the transaction of official business, and that needs to be preserved for informational value or as evidence of a transaction.

Non-record materials are temporary materials used to control internal work-in-progress, such as items created, copied, downloaded, or acquired for reference, exhibition, distribution, or back up. These materials do not have to be maintained in accordance with an approved Records Inventory and Retention Schedule and can be thrown away or shredded once they are no longer needed

Examples include manuals, pamphlets, newspapers, and informational letters​ or copies of documents used as working, reading, ‘tickler,’ and suspense files. Additionally, speech notes, reminders, shorthand notes, and notebooks that have been transcribed​ are non-record materials..