David Y. Ige

HONOLULU – The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) is being recognized nationally for its effort to use technology to re-conceptualize, transform and digitize the way government agencies serve their customers. The Center for Digital Government announced the department’s Hawaii Vital Records Ordering and Tracking System (vitrec.ehawaii.gov) is a winner of the 2016 Digital Government Achievement Award (DGAA) in the Driving Digital Government State Government category.

“Congratulations to our DOH vital records team and our partner eHawaii.gov.” said Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler. “Their efforts will continue to provide better and more efficient online services for the public.”

Deputy Director of Health Keith Yamamoto said “We have come a long way from the days of boxes of paper orders. Over 70 percent of all orders for certified copies of vital records are now submitted online.”

Since the initial launch of the Vital Records Ordering and Tracking System in February 2015, the Department of Health has reduced the average wait time for mail-delivery of orders of certified copies from 56 business days to nine days. Individuals with prepaid pick-up orders can be in and out of the office in as little as five minutes.

“We are honored and encouraged with this recognition,” said Dr. Alvin Onaka, state registrar of Vital Statistics and chief of the Office of Health Status Monitoring (OHSM). “With over 300,000 certified copies of birth, death and marriage certificates issued annually, we must conduct our operation as efficiently as possible with limited available resources.”  OHSM previously won two awards from DGAA for its Electronic Marriage and Civil Union Registration System in 2013, and its Electronic Death Registration System in 2007.

The Digital Government Achievement Awards is a national program that recognizes outstanding agency and department websites and applications that enhance information interactions, transactions and/or services, and increase innovation, efficiency, and performance.

The Department of Health’s online ordering and tracking service was implemented by a partnership of the department’s Office of Health Status Monitoring, Health Information Systems Office, and the Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC, the official Internet portal manager of eHawaii.gov.

The Office of Health Status Monitoring administers a statewide vital event registry that includes birth, death and marriage records and issues certified copies to those entitled by Hawaii law. Statistical information from these statewide records are collected, processed, analyzed and disseminated to assess and monitor the health status of the people of Hawaii.

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