Harris-Ben Taub First in Houston to be State Certified for Newborn Hearing Screenings

Under a new Texas public health program, the Harris County Hospital District's Ben Taub General Hospital (Harris-Ben Taub) is the first hospital in the greater Houston area to receive state certification to provide universal newborn hearing screenings to babies born in the facility, hospital officials announced at a July 17 press conference. The 651-licensed bed hospital delivers more than 5,000 babies annually.

The Texas Newborn Hearing Screening, Tracking, and Intervention Act, passed by the state legislature, requires hospitals across Texas to offer hearing screenings for all newborns. About three babies are born with a hearing loss every day in Texas - the most common abnormality present at birth.

"Before hearing screenings were offered at the time of birth, hearing loss often went unnoticed until the child was two years of age or older. These children spent years in special education trying to remediate the impairment resulting from their hearing loss," said Dr. Michael Stewart, chief of otolaryngology. "Now, with early detection programs, the long-term cognitive and social outcomes for babies born with hearing losses are dramatically improved."

The screenings are simple, completely painless, very accurate and provide immediate results to parents. "Knowing right away provides peace of mind," said Megan Brennan, audiologist and one of the program coordinators. "Parents want and need to know in order to be sure their child gets the best available care as soon as possible. While early detection is critical, making sure they are connected to follow-up care early in the child's life is what will make the difference for these children."

"The successful completion of the certification process is important because it assures that each and every child born at a hospital with a certified program gets a hearing screening as long as the parent consents to the screening," added Dr. Stewart. "Harris-Ben Taub's continued commitment to excellence means all babies born here will be screened before they leave the hospital. We are proud to be the first in the Houston area to receive state certification for this service to the babies born here."

With the growth in understanding of the substantial impacts to both the individual child and to public health, elected leaders nationwide have begun stepping in to tackle the issue of early screening and intervention for a variety of health conditions among newborns. Texas was one of the early states to pass a law requiring newborn hearing screening and ensuring access to services for babies with hearing losses.

"Early screening and intervention is where we as public health policy makers must continue to focus our limited resources. Beyond the obvious quality of life benefits, we can now measure outcomes, quantify savings, and maximize our efforts," said State Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), who co-sponsored the legislation creating the program, helped ensure its funding, and is vice chairman of the House Committee on Public Health. "This is a great program for young Texans - for all Texans."

Under this law, and by the end of this year, most hospitals in the state will be providing hearing screenings through certified Newborn Hearing Screening programs.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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