|
American Academy of Pediatrics EHDI Program Information
In 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) implemented a program, Improving the Effectiveness of Newborn Hearing Screening, Diagnosis and Intervention through the Medical Home, focused on increasing the involvement of primary care pediatricians and other child health care providers by linking follow-up services more closely to the newborn's medical home. The program is housed in the AAP Department of State Government and Chapter Affairs. It represents a national AAP-Chapter partnership and is funded by an educational grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As part of this program, nearly every AAP chapter has appointed an Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Chapter Champion to serve as the point person on this issue at the state and local level. The majority of the Chapter Champions participated in the February 11-13, 2002, national early hearing detection and intervention meeting coordinated by the National Center on Hearing Management and Assessment. Following the meeting, Chapter Champions have been encouraged to coordinate efforts between pediatricians, health care professionals, state health departments, hospitals, and others in an effort to implement newborn hearing screening programs and to ensure that this issue is prioritized at the state level. Chapter Champions have also begun to collaborate with state EHDI coordinators to provide pediatric expertise to state-level programs and educational offerings. To obtain the name of the Chapter Champion in your state, visit the AAP Web site at http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/screening/hearing.html (scroll down this page to download the Chapter Champion listing in a PDF format) or contact program consultant Michelle Esquivel at (847) 608-6550 for specific information.
The AAP has also instituted a Task Force on Improving the Effectiveness of Newborn Hearing Screening, Diagnosis and Intervention which serves as the oversight group for this project. Members of the Task Force as work concertedly with the Chapter Champions to ensure that state-level issues are understood and experiences related to improvement of both policies and programs are communicated.
For more information, see:
|
