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RE: FY 2005 EHDI Appropriation
Dear Representative:
The undersigned 35 organizations support funding of $20 million in FY 2005 for the early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD).
Every day 33 babies are born in the United States with permanent hearing loss, making it one of the most frequently occurring birth defects. The impact of delayed detection and intervention can last a lifetime. When hearing loss is found early, intervention and treatment can produce dramatic improvements in child speech and language development by school age. Federal seed grants to states passed in 1999 have helped bring about significant progress in state early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs. But to ensure appropriate early intervention, states need greater federal assistance to help initiate appropriate screening, follow-up services and tracking programs.
In 1998, prior to this assistance, 22% of babies were reported as having received a hearing screen. This year approximately 90% of newborns will be screened for hearing loss before 1 month of age. However, only about half of those infants diagnosed with hearing loss are enrolled in an early intervention program by 6 months of age. These results validate the need for continued federal participation to help ensure that all states and U.S. territories are given the opportunity to successfully put in place comprehensive EHDI programs so that no child is left behind.
To ensure that every American newborn child has an equal chance to reach his or her full potential, the signatories to this letter urge Congress to support the following critical health programs in the FY 2005 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill:
- Appropriate $10 million for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to assist states in screening and follow-up services;
- Appropriate $10 million for the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) under the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to assist states with the tracking, surveillance, quality assurance and cost effectiveness in EHDI programs; and
- Encourage the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to expand its EHDI clinical research.
Thank you for your support of this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Academy of Dispensing Audiologists
Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology
Advanced Bionics Corporation
American Academy of Audiology
American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers
American Medical Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Society for Deaf Children
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Auditory-Verbal International, Inc.
Cochlear Americas
Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf
Council for Exceptional Children
Deafness Research Foundation
Easter Seals
Educational Audiology Association
International Hearing Society
Hearing Industries Association
March of Dimes
National Association of Private Special Education Centers
National Association of State Directors of Special Education
National Association of the Deaf
National Court Reporters Association
National Cued Speech Association
National Education Association
National PTA
Pediatrix Medical Group
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People
Telecommunications for the Deaf
World Council on Hearing Health
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