§ 20-15-1103 — Creation

(a) There is established in the Department of Health a program to be known as the "Newborn Infant Hearing Screening Program". The program shall provide for the early identification and follow-up of newborn infants at risk. (b) The program shall include: (1) Development through the promulgation of rules and criteria or factors to identify those newborn infants who are at risk for hearing impairment or of developing a progressive hearing impairment; (2) Creation of a Hearing Impairment Registry to include, but not be limited to, the identification of newborn infants at risk for hearing impairment, infants with hearing impairment, and infants at risk of developing a progressive hearing impairment; (3) Development of a hearing impairment at-risk questionnaire. The instrument shall be provided by the department to hospitals, birthing centers, and lay midwives for use in the program; (4) Development of appropriate written materials regarding hearing impairment. The materials shall be provided to hospitals, birthing centers, and lay midwives for their use in the program; (5) Development of a means of establishing contact with parents, guardians, and physicians of newborn infants with hearing impairment, of newborn infants at risk, and of infants at risk of developing a progressive hearing impairment; (6) Establishment of a telephone hotline to communicate information about hearing impairment, hearing screening, audiological evaluation, and other services for infants with hearing impairment; (7) Development of a screening report to be used by all facilities screening infants for hearing impairment to provide information to the department for a tracking system for newborn infants at risk; and (8) A data collection system.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 1945, eff. 7/24/2019. Acts 1993, No. 1096, § 3.