17th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 18-20, 2018 • Denver, CO
3/20/2018 | 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | When Crisis Hits! The Colorado EHDI Sustainability Plan | Capitol 4
When Crisis Hits! The Colorado EHDI Sustainability Plan
The Colorado State Attorney General’s office determined that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) did not have appropriate statutory authority to follow infants past the initial newborn hearing and metabolic blood spot screen. They moved the EHDI program from the Prevention Services Division (funded partially by the Maternal and Child Health Block grant) to the Colorado Responds to Children with Special Needs (aka Birth Defects Registry) under the assumption that this division had more authority to follow infants past screening. Unfortunately this was found not be true. The EHDI Integrated Data System (IDS) was also at risk. As a result concerned stakeholders from the Colorado Academy of Audiology, Colorado Children’s Hospital, CO Chapter of the AAP, University of Colorado March of Dimes and Hands & Voices have come together to support legislation that will not only enhance the EHDI program but provide much needed funding for the EHDI IDS and staff. Lost to follow-up and lost to documentation has been a large concern for many EHDI programs. Knowledgeable staff are needed to contact families for follow-up and provide valuable resource information so no infant falls through the cracks. The EHDI IDS is critical for tracking infants through the entire EHDI process, including family support. The authors will most likely not know the outcome of these efforts by March 2018 but the journey along the way should provide insight to other EHDI programs potentially facing the same critical risk.
- 1. Participants will define the importance of having appropriate statutory authority to conduct a comprehensive EHDI program from screening through early intervention.
- 2. Participants will describe the importance of sustainable funding as federal funding continues to decline.
- 3. Participants will be able to list important stakeholders in the legislative process and how the legislative process works.
Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online.
Handouts:
15805_7910VickieThomson.pdf
Transcripts:
15805_7910VickieThomson.doc
Presenters/Authors
Vickie Thomson
(), University of Colorado , vickie.thomson@ucdenver.edu;
Vickie Thomson, PhD, served at the Director of the Colorado Newborn Hearing Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment from 1991 to 2012. She received her master’s degree in audiology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1978 and her doctorate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2007. As a clinical audiologist Vickie started one of the first infant hearing programs at Boulder Community Hospital. She has provided technical assistance in developing screening programs in Colorado and in other states and countries. She has written numerous articles on the importance of early identification and intervention of hearing loss in infants. She currently is the principle investigator if the HRSA EHDI grant and is a consultant to the National Center on Hearing Assessment and Management.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Charlie Hebeler
(), Marion Downs Center , Charlie.Hebeler@gmail.com;
Charlotte 'Charlie' Hebeler holds a DrPH from the University of Michigan with a focus on health policy, an MSN from the University of Colorado with a focus on maternal and child health, and a BSN from the University of Michigan. She was a professional lobbyist for The Children's Hospital in Denver and then, as an independent contractor, represented the Colorado Academy of Audiology among others for more than 20 years. She was the primary legislative strategist for legislation requiring newborn hearing screening in 1997, and for a follow-on bill in 2008 to require insurance coverage for hearing aids for children.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
Has a Professional,Institutional (Former lobbyist, Colorado Academy of Audiology) (Current Board member of Marion Downs Center)
relationship for Board membership.