Enhancing Timely Data Reporting, Quality, and Use in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Surveillance

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support jurisdictional Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs to improve data quality and use of data to inform programmatic actions by examining the timeliness and completeness of the data to help all infants who are born Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH) to reach the full promise of screening, diagnosis, and access to early intervention in the first 6 months of life. Also, the NOFO will support a subset of jurisdictions to integrate language and communication status data at age 3 years within their EHDI surveillance...

Bona fide agents of state and territorial governments State and territorial agencies have the public health authority and/or legislative mandate to conduct Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) activities, which include monitoring and tracking the disposition of every occurrent birth in the state. This authority allows the agency or their bona fide agent to work collaboratively with multiple reporting sources, including but not limited to State vital records. Birthing facilities, Diagnostic centers, Audiologist, Early intervention services, Congenital anomaly registries, Immunization registries, and other newborn screening programs to ensure accurate monitoring and tracking of all births statewide.There are two components included in this NOFO:Component A: Improving data quality in the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention-Information System (EHDI-IS) by using data to inform interventions and building collaborations to facilitate data linkage and integration, andComponent B: Incorporating language outcomes data into the EHDI-IS by improving collaboration with early intervention services funded under Part C and other relevant partners that collect language or communication outcomes.To be eligible for Component A, you must 1) Document that there are at least 5,000 babies born in your jurisdiction each year, 2) Document your ability to collect and report biannually all tier 1 patient-level data items found on the table below and document completeness of tier 1 variables. See the link under additional information for the list of tier 1 data items.To be eligible for Component B you must, 1) apply for Component A and 2) document your program’s six-month early intervention benchmark for calendar year 2022.

Deidra Green ehdico-op@cdc.gov