Summary: The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing have received a five-year grant to enhance early hearing screening and intervention services for newborns, infants, and toddlers in Arizona.
Takeaways:
- Grant Funding: A five-year grant of up to $235,000 per year from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration will support the initiative.
- Collaborative Effort: The project involves a strategic partnership with various Arizona organizations to ensure timely hearing screening, diagnosis, and early intervention for children with hearing issues.
- Support for Families: The initiative aims to provide comprehensive support to children with hearing impairments and their families, ensuring access to language and developmental services.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Office of Newborn Screening and the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH), announced the award of a five-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The total grant award will be up to $235,000 per year.
ADHS and ACDHH formed a strategic partnership to bring these grant funds to Arizona to ensure newborns, infants, and toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing receive timely hearing screening, diagnosis, and early intervention services.
Fran Altmaier, Arizona Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (AzEHDI) coordinator, articulated the project’s overarching goals.
“Our aim is to ensure that every child, regardless of hearing levels, has access to language and early intervention services to support their developmental milestones,” she says. “We will also support their families through this process.”
Further Support for Hearing Health in Arizona
The ADHS and ACDHH team will also collaborate with partners at the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP), and will contract with organizations such as Arizona Hands and Voices (AZHV), to implement this initiative and to optimize outcomes for newborns with varying hearing levels. This partnership highlights ADHS’ commitment to quality pediatric healthcare for all children in Arizona.
“The AzEIP team is excited to see the arrival of these funds to further progress early hearing intervention for Arizona’s infants and toddlers,” says DES AzEIP Program Administrator Ena Binns.
Further reading: Harnessing Technology and Patient Care for Pediatric Hearing Aid Fittings
To ensure seamless execution and oversight of the project, ADHS will establish an EHDI advisory committee, with leadership from the ACDHH team.
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