Senator Kemp Hannon anounced $3 million in funding to support newborn hearing screening programs in 162 maternity hospitals and birthing centers throughout New York State. This funding will help to further enhance the state's recently announced screening rates, which are far above the national average.

The funding announced will be distributed to the following maternity hospitals and birthing centers in our area: Long Island Jewish Medical Center ($45,659.23), North Shore University Hospital ($43,495.03), Winthrop University Hospital ($39,303.02), Mercy Medical Center ($21,592.20), North Shore University Hospital at Plainview ($19,694.83), South Nassau Communities Hospital ($16,338.84) and North Shore University Hospital at Glen Cove ($12,751.62).

"New York State has taken great strides to ensure that every child has access to the very best health care," Senator Hannon said. "The funding announced will build on our record of achievement with New York's outstanding Child Health Plus program by ensuring that thousands of newborns across the state receive these critically important screening tests."

New York's Newborn Hearing Screening program became operational in October 2001. The first quarter of program implementation showed that nearly 85 percent of infants born in hospitals and birthing centers between Oct. 20 and Dec. 31 were screened for hearing loss, ranking New York among the top states in the country in the percentage of newborns screened. It also ranks New York well above the national average of 69 percent.

State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, MD, MPH, Dr.PH, said, "Under Governor Pataki's leadership, New York will lead the way by providing critical funding to ensure that newborns are screened and, if necessary, receive treatment for any hearing ailments. Unlike the rest of the country, where more than half of birthing hospitals do not screen hearing for all babies prior to discharge, the governor has made sure that New York facilities are receiving the fund they need to administer screenings to newborns. The governor clearly understands the enormous benefits and cost efficiency that newborn hearing screening affords families and health care providers."

Under the governor's leadership, New York is on target with national Early Hearing Detection and Intervention goals, which are to screen all infants by one month of age, identify hearing loss by three months of age, and have early intervention services in place by six months of age.

To help achieve these goals, the State Department of Health has provided training and technical assistance to hospitals on the importance of newborn hearing screening, screening technologies and equipment, and the applicable requirements. Educational brochures have also been developed and supplied to hospitals and birthing centers. These brochures inform parents about newborn hearing screening and early intervention services available for children with hearing loss.

Three out of every 1,000 newborn babies have a hearing loss, making hearing loss the most common of all birth defects. Early identification of hearing loss coupled with early intervention gives children with hearing loss an opportunity to develop the language/communication skills they need to support learning.