2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
3/05/2019 | 2:20 PM - 2:45 PM | Parent Support in a Hospital Setting: A New Approach for State EHDI Systems | Narita A/B
Parent Support in a Hospital Setting: A New Approach for State EHDI Systems
A parent’s journey once their baby is diagnosed with hearing loss is marked with achievements and challenges with the parent/child relationship, family/provider relationship, and overall how the parent navigated within the established state EHDI system. In order to ensure infants with hearing loss are identified as soon as possible, Tennessee passed Claire’s Law in 2007 requiring newborn hearing screening while in the hospital setting, or by one month of age. In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Health hired a mother of two children with hearing loss who were both born prior to Claire’s Law to serve as the EHDI Coordinator.
Personal experiences from a parent assisted the Tennessee EHDI Coordinator, a former parent guide, in identifying gaps in the existing EHDI system and identifying how important relationships can further enhance the existing Tennessee EHDI system. In the past ten years, from 2008-2017, more than 2,700 infants who failed initial hearing screening received diagnostic testing from a large children’s hospital in the western region of the state. Among them, 317 children with hearing loss were confirmed, accounting for 20% of all hearing loss infants diagnosed in Tennessee. The existing EHDI state referral system requires families to wait 2-3 days for a parent support call. The EHDI Coordinator collaborated with the non-profit Family Voices organization PEARS (Parents Empowerment Access Resources Support), families, and the children’s hospital to establish the first parent guide position within a hospital setting, providing immediate family support. The services were funded through HRSA carryover dollars.
A parent guide provides emotional support, linkages to community resources, and tools to navigate through the enrollment process with early intervention services. This presentation will identify a new opportunity to engage families and family support organizations. In addition, attendees will learn the funding methodology and lessons learned.
- Identify a new approach to family engagement in a hospital setting
- EHDI state funding methodology and lessons learned
- How to build relationships within established EHDI Systems
Presentation:
18878_10395RachaelStough.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
18878_10395RachelStough.docx
Presenters/Authors
Rachael Stough
(), Tennessee Department of Health, Rachael.Stough@tn.gov;
Rachael Stough, MS, is the EHDI Program Coordinator with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) who has served for two years. Before this, she served as a parent guide with Family Voices PEARS. In previous work experience, she was a home visitor for 15 years working with high risk families who have co-occurring developmental delays and mental/substance abuse. She has provided clinical and reflective supervision with evidence based home visiting programs which focused on attachment and security as the foundation for social/emotional health and wellness. She received a B.S. from University of North Alabama with a Double Major in Psychology/Sociology and a Master’s degree in Health and Human Performance from Middle Tennessee State University. In her spare time, she lives a life similar to the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus” with her husband who is a band director along with her two beautiful children who both have profound sensorineural hearing loss.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -