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ASHA is one of six associations nationally selected by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for Association Leadership's Associations Advance America (AAA) Committee to receive the 2007 Summit Award – ASAE's highest honor for associations that implement innovative community-based programs. The Summit Award symbolizes the very best efforts engineered by associations across the country in areas like public education/information, economic development, business and social innovation, skills training/development and civic and volunteer activities. The six Summit Award winners for 2007 were selected from more than 250 entries received in the AAA Awards program this year.
ASHA was recognized for its Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) campaign, an effort that reflects grassroots, volunteer leader, and national office staff contributions in helping lead the promotion of newborn hearing screening and intervention policies throughout the United States. Over the course of the campaign, the reported number of newborns being screened before leaving the hospital has increased from 22% in 1999 to roughly 95% today. In 1988, the average age that children with congenital hearing loss were identified was over 3 years of age, with many children not being identified until 5 or 6 years of age. Today, it is now less than 3 months and dropping. In addition, with the assistance of ASHA and other associations, the number of states that have laws or statewide voluntary programs for the early detection and intervention of hearing loss has grown from 11 to 46 states.
For more information on the Summit Awards, you can view ASAE's press release. For more information on ASHA's EHDI campaign, please contact Jim Potter, ASHA's Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, via e-mail at jpotter@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4125.
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