1. United States
2. S.D.
3. Letter

Continued federal support is necessary to ensure that Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) initiatives are fully operational and successful. While Congress reauthorized the EHDI program in 2022 and authorized funding for CDC activities and HRSA grants to support state newborn hearing screening programs, the recent HHS reorganization eliminated critical data collection and assessment functions previously carried out by the CDC. These functions are essential for successful early hearing screening and intervention programs at the state level. I urge you to protect newborn hearing screening programs and preserve federal support for state efforts to ensure that newborns who are deaf or hard of hearing receive timely screening, diagnosis, and early intervention services. Properly linking screening with diagnosis and early intervention is vital to providing deaf and hard of hearing children the resources they need for language development and future success from birth.