18th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 3-5, 2019 • Chicago, IL
3/05/2012 | 3:20 PM - 3:50 PM | Employing Public Health System Partners to Reduce EHDI Loss to Follow-up | Grand Ballroom B | 5
Employing Public Health System Partners to Reduce EHDI Loss to Follow-up
An emphasis of all state EHDI programs is to ensure that appropriate follow-up occurs among children who do not pass a hearing screening or who are diagnosed with hearing loss. However, many babies who do not pass the screen continue to be lost to follow up, and there are significant problems linking children with hearing loss to early intervention, medical home, and family supports. Clear opportunities for improvement exist in the development of efficient models to ensure follow-up care for newborns, infants, and young children identified as deaf or hard of hearing. Tests using quality improvement methods have indicated that local pubic health agencies served approximately 80-85% of children “lost” to Minnesota’s EHDI Surveillance System in one or more existing local public health programs. As a result, the state EHDI program employed an existing system and contract with local public health agencies to facilitate and document hearing rescreening, identification of hearing loss, and a connection to services/supports such as Early Intervention for children diagnosed with permanent hearing loss. Two years after the contracts with local public health were first implemented; data demonstrates significant improvements in decreasing rates of lost to follow-up/documentation. In addition, gaps in the system have been identified and coordination between families, public health, Part C, and primary care providers have improved. This presentation will share strategies used to engage local partners in closing the gap in EHDI follow-up, and share further results from this enhanced follow-up effort.
- 1) Explore how EHDI programs can work with and enhance existing local public health systems to facilitate rescreening, diagnosis, and connections to intervention for children with hearing loss. 2) Identify strategies that will improve state’s EHDI tracking and follow-up systems.
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Presenters/Authors
Nicole Brown
(POC,Primary Presenter), Minnesota Dept of Health, nicole.brown@state.mn.us;
Nicole Brown is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and has worked in Minnesota’s Maternal and Child Health/Public Health field for over 19 years at both the state and local level. She is the supervisor for Newborn Screening long-term follow-up and is Minnesota’s EHDI Coordinator responsible to provide long-range planning and direction for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a statewide EHDI system for children once they are identified with hearing loss. Nicole served as the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ liaison to the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Improving the Effectiveness of Newborn Hearing Screening, Diagnosis, and Intervention. She has worked with NCHAM as Quality Improvement Advisor and is the parent of two children who are deaf.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Kirsten Coverstone
(Co-Presenter,Author), MN Dept. of Health, Kirsten.Coverstone@state.mn.us ;
Kirsten Coverstone is an audiologist with many years of service dedicated to early hearing detection and intervention. She grew up in southern Minnesota, earned her masters degree from the Univ. of Northern Iowa and her doctorate from Salus University. Kirsten has actively worked at the local state and national levels to promote universal newborn screening for hearing. As coordinator of the Lions Infant Hearing Program at the University of Minnesota she worked directly with hospitals to establish effective hearing screening programs and audiologists to confirm hearing loss. In addition, Kirsten implemented a statewide hearing instrument loaner program for infants and young children in Minnesota. She is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and their families as the MDH EHDI Screening Program Coordinator.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Nicole Brys
(Co-Presenter), Minnesota Department of Health, nicole.brys@state.mn.us;
Nicole Brys is the data coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Health's EHDI Follow-up Project with Local Public Health Agencies. She received her Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -