EHDI Program at Risk

On April 1, President Trump’s administration eliminated almost the entire branch of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program that works with states to analyze data to help communities follow up with families in order to ensure that babies born d/Deaf or hard of hearing get support as early as possible.

EHDI is run partially out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and partially out of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It helps states coordinate newborn hearing screenings and respond to infants who fail their hearing tests. It falls under the CDC’s Disability and Health Promotion branch.

This entire branch was eliminated in the April 1 cutbacks at CDC that cut about 2,400 employees. EHDI had eight full-time workers and one fellow; all but one of the positions were eliminated.

The Academy sent a letter expressing concerns for the future of the program to Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and to Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. The letter also requests that the funding Congress has previously allocated be given to EHDI programs.

Get in touch with your congressional representatives to urge them to restore funding for the EHDI program.