The Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program passed legislation in 1997 requiring every birth hospital to provide a newborn
hearing screen. Every midwife is to offer information to mothers who birth at home, information on where to receive a free
or low cost newborn hearing screen. If a baby does not pass their newborn hearing screen in the hospital most hospitals bring
the baby back for an outpatient rescreen. If the baby does not pass that screen they are then referred to an audiologist who
has the expertise to assess infants. This requires special equipment and experience. If a baby is found to have a permanent
hearing loss they are then referred to the Colorado Hearing Resource (CO-Hear) Coordinator to begin the early intervention process.
Families are also referred to the Colorado Hands & Voices parent support organization. A Parent Guide will visit with the family to provide support and
resource information specifically for families who have children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Every community has a local EHDI team to develop a protocol
for follow-up and identify the resources in their community. The local EHDI teams are comprised of:
- A designated hospital coordinator
- Local HCP Regional Office Team Leader
- Audiology Regional Coordinator
- Hands & Voices Parent Guide
- Part C coordinator
- Physicians
- Other key stakeholders.
Every hospital has developed a Roadmap for Families that details for families where they should go and who they should contact for each step of the process from screening through
early intervention.
