2025 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA
DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER
| Building a Statewide Taskforce: Early Lessons Learned in the cCMV WiSPER (Wisconsin Screening Prevention and Early Recognition) Project
Building a Statewide Taskforce: Early Lessons Learned in the cCMV WiSPER (Wisconsin Screening Prevention and Early Recognition) Project
Congenital CMV (cCMV) is often asymptomatic in the newborn period. Opportunities for diagnosis and early intervention are time sensitive and must happen in the first 21 days of life. In the United States, the lack of a national consensus statement or recommendations has led to wide variations in statewide screening practices resulting in gaps in care. Wisconsin currently has no standard for cCMV screening or prevention and statewide practices around screening, diagnosis and follow up of newborns with cCMV are largely unknown. A 2023 survey of Wisconsin birthing hospitals showed that 41% screened newborns for cCMV and only 15% had a written policy. In 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services provided funding to establish a statewide taskforce to identify gaps in care and develop cCMV screening recommendations. The cCMV WiSPER (Wisconsin Screening, Prevention and Early Recognition) Project is a multidisciplinary statewide coalition of perinatal providers, audiologists, pediatric specialists (ENT and ID) and families with lived experience.
This breakout session will describe the initial process of recruiting and engaging a diverse and multidisciplinary stakeholder group and identify strategies for building collaborations with key state agencies and local, state and national parent and professional groups. The session will include recommendations for navigating the challenges, successes and costs of using resources at an academic center, including the role of a project manager and IT support. We will introduce quality improvement options to track cCMV screening and success in increasing statewide hearing and growth based cCMV screening. This discussion of the development of cCMV WiSPER stakeholder group provides an example of an action plan and tools for other states seeking to identify state specific gaps in cCMV screening and is a model for building consensus around perinatal gaps in care.
- The participant will be able to outline an action plan for starting a statewide coalition to build consensus around cCMV screening
- The participant will be able to list 3 state agencies for potential collaboration.
- The participant will be able to recognize and apply lessons learned to creating a cCMV coalition in their own state.
Presentation:
3545975_18233JulieKessel.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Elizabeth Goetz
(Author,Co-Author), University of Wisconsin SMPH, egoetz@pediatrics.wisc.edu;
Dr. Elizabeth Goetz is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Goetz is director of the newborn hospitalist team and has extensive experience in quality improvement projects for newborns. In 2019, Dr. Goetz helped organize a multidisciplinary CMV workgroup and led the newborn hospitalist team in implementing a QI project on hearing targeted CMV screening for term infants. In 2024, Dr. Goetzl was a co-principle investigator on a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services with the goal to establish a statewide taskforce to identify gaps in care and develop cCMV screening recommendations.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Kaitlin Tolliver
(Co-Author), Department of Health Services, kaitlin.tolliver@dhs.wisconsin.gov;
Kaitlin Tolliver, MSW, LCSW, is a social worker who specializes in the development of policies, initiatives and programs that support children and families. Tolliver has more than 15 years of experience working with communities, health systems, and state government. She also has significant expertise in serving as a liaison between community partners, state leadership, and community members. Kaitlin is currently the Birth Defect Program Coordinator and CYSHCN Health Promotion Consultant for the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services, where she is working on congenital Cytomegalovirus prevention, education and screening.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Elizabeth Seeliger
(Co-Author), Department of Health Services, elizabeth.seeliger@dhs.wisconsin.gov;
Elizabeth Seeliger, AuD, is the Wisconsin Sound Beginnings Program Director and has worked as a clinical audiologist in a variety of settings, helping guide children and families through the process of hearing loss diagnosis and intervention. Elizabeth has been a leader in developing a data, tracking and referral system; educational resources for hospitals and providers; and an interactive notebook for parents. Elizabeth spearheaded the initiative to enable Wisconsin homebirth midwives to provide UNHS. Elizabeth has also provided technical assistance and consultation locally and internationally on quality improvement in EHDI systems. Elizabeth served on the board of directors for the WI Chapter of Families for Hands & Voices and Hands & Voices HQ. She is endorsed in Infant, Early Childhood and Family Mental Health.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Julie Kessel
(Primary Presenter), University of Wisconsin SMPH, jmkessel@wisc.edu;
Julie Kessel is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As a neonatologist, Dr. Kessel is interested in infections and inflammation, including CMV, that impact outcomes of term and preterm newborns. In 2017, she became Chair of the WI Newborn Hearing Advisory Committee, AAP EHDI chapter champion and advisor to the WI Newborn Screening Program. In 2019, Dr. Kessel helped organize a multidisciplinary CMV workgroup and partnered with the newborn hospitalist team to start a QI project on hearing targeted CMV screening for term and preterm infants. In 2023, Dr. Kessel collaborated with EHDI chapter champions from multiple states to do a survey of practice variation in screening for congenital CMV. In 2024, Dr. Kessel was a co- principle investigator on a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services with the goal to establish a statewide taskforce to identify gaps in care and develop cCMV screening recommendations.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Financial relationship with Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Council on Brith Defects Prevention and Surveillance.
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.