Tom Harkin: “Included in that plan, commonly referred to as the healthy people 2000 report, was a goal to reduce the average age at…”

“Included in that plan, commonly referred to as the healthy people 2000 report, was a goal to reduce the average age at which children with significant hearing impairment are identified to no more than 12 months. In March 1993, NIH convened a consensus panel on early identification of hearing impairments in infants and young children. That panel recommended that all children be screened for hearing impairment before they discharged from the birthing hospital. Unfortunately, at that time, few hospitals or audiologists and experience with the newborn hearing screening techniques which were recommended. Therefore, in October 1993, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau funded a consortium of sites who were experienced with NIH-recommended technique to encourage and assist with the implementation of the NIH recommendation. That consortium, with a relatively small amount of Federal money, has been extremely successful in assisting with the implementation of newborn hearing screening programs. Through their efforts, there are now over 70 hospitals in 14 different States doing universal newborn hearing screening following the NIH-recommended protocol.”