This
brief guide will help you navigate through a variety of programs offered
through the Georgia Division of Public Health that may benefit your
patients. If you would like copies of the guide, please contact
Kasha Sumpter, at the Chapter office at 404-881-5067 or email her at
ksumpter@gaaap.org.
Click Here
for a copy of the Guide.
AAP Combines Bright Futures & Health Supervision
III Guidelines
This fall the
AAP announced the release of Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health
Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents along with its new
Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (periodicity
schedule). This new resource, the product of a 5-year effort by the
Academy, combines the Bright Futures approach with the AAP Guidelines
for Health Supervision III to create a more efficient system to
providing well child care to your patients.
Click here to view the new periodicity chart.
Click here for a summary of changes to the
periodicity schedule. If you have any questions, please contact Fozia
Khan Eskew at the Chapter office at 404-881-5074 or via email at
feskew@gaaap.org.
Children
1st
Children
1st is
a public health program developed to serve as a single point of entry
into Georgia’s Public Health system for children birth to five and is
assigned to promote early identification of all children with conditions
that place them at risk for poor health and/or developmental outcomes
and assist families in linking their children to a medical home.
Click
here for a listing of Children 1st Coordinators.
Click here to obtain a copy of the Children
1st Screening and Referral form (Instructions
to complete the form). If you would like to order other
brochures from the Department of Infant and Child Health
click here.
New
Website for Parents of Children with Special Needs: This site,
"Roadmap to Services," contains information for
parents in an easy-to-navigate format. Check it out by going to www.parenttoparentofga.org
and selecting one of the Roadmap links.
Newborn
Screening Programs
Georgia Newborn
Screening for Metabolic and Sickle Cell Disorders Program
Effective
January 1, 2007, Georgia will screen all live born infants for the
following 28 disorders: Phenylketonuria, Congenital Hypothyroidism,
Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Galactosemia, Tyrosinemia, Homocystinuria,
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Biotinidase Deficiency, Medium-Chain
Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency, Sickle Cell Disorders (SS, SC, S-beta
thalassemia), Isovaleric acidemia, Glutaric acidemia type I, 3-OH 3-CH3
glutaric aciduria (HMG), Multiple carboxylase deficiency, Methylmalonic
acidemia, 3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency (3MCC), Propionic
acidemia, Beta-ketothiolase deficiency, Very long-chain acyl-CoA
dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCAD), Long-chain L-3-OH acyl CoA
dehydrogenase deficiency (LCHAD), Trifunctional protein deficiency,
Carnitine uptake defect, Citrullinemia, Argininosuccinic acidemia, and
Cystic Fibrosis. Click
here to view the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a technical
report entitled Newborn Screening Fact Sheets.
Obtaining Results
Newborn
screening results can be obtained on line by completing the registration
process available at
https://sendss.state.ga.us. This
system is a part of the Georgia’s State Electronic Notifiable Disease
Surveillance System (SENDSS).
The
Voice Response System (VRS) for the Newborn
Screening Program enables enrolled submitters to access screening test
results via a touch tone telephone 24 hours a day/7 days a week. To
ensure confidentiality and security, your State Medical License number
or a submitter code number is required to access the system. In
addition, as a second security check, the system will prompt you to
enter a "personal identification number" (PIN) that will be chosen by
you when you enroll to participate. Click here for the enrollment form.
http://health.state.ga.us/programs/lab/vrsform.asp
Follow-up
Emory
University School of Medicine conducts follow-up on abnormal results for
the metabolic and endocrine disorders. The newborn follow-up program
can be reached by calling 404-778-8560. For the metabolic
nutritionists, call 404-686-5500; PIC ID: 14097. The Geneticist-on-Call
(pager for nights and weekends) can be reach at 404-701-0532.
Follow-up of
abnormal hemoglobin results that suggest carrier, or "trait" status is
conducted by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia, Inc. Sickle Cell
Foundation of Georgia (404) 755-1641 or 1-800-326-5287.
The follow-up
of abnormal results that suggest actual hemoglobin disease are divided
between the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Medical
College of Georgia in Augusta, and the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell
Center at Grady Heath System in Atlanta. Contact information for these
programs is listed below:
Medical College of Georgia
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Pediatric Sickle Cell Clinic
NBS Program Coordinator: (706) 721-6251
On-call MD: (706) 721-3893
Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell
Center
Grady Health System
NBS Program Coordinator: (404) 616-5990
On-Call MD: (404) 616-3572
Click
here for additional information metabolic screening program via the
Georgia Public Health website.
http://health.state.ga.us/programs/nsmscd/
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening &
Intervention
(UNHSI)
To view the updated the Principles and Guidelines
for Early Hearing & Intervention for Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention Program issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics
click here.
Georgia's UNHSI works to ensure that all newborns are
screened for hearing impairment at birth prior to hospital discharge. Those children who did not pass the hearing screening or are
refer are to receive an outpatient screen by one month of age.
Suspected and confirmed cases of hearing impairment in children
younger than age five is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases of hearing loss must be reported to Children 1st
via the Children 1st Screening and Referral form within 7
days.
Diagnostic
testing after failing a re-screen should not be delayed.
Once a newborn does not pass or is refer
after the outpatient screen, an audiological evaluation is to be
coordinator for the child by three months of age.
If the
family chooses amplification as an intervention option, most infants can
be successfully fit immediately following diagnosis.
Therefore, linkage to
intervention services by 6 months of age follows the audiological
evaluation.
For a list of pediatric
audiologists
click
here. A Surveillance
of Hearing Impairment in Infants and Young Children/Confirmation of
Diagnosis of Infant/Child Hearing Impairment Worksheet for
Audiologists/Physicians form is used to report the initial
diagnosis of hearing loss in children up to the age of 5 that is
determined or suspected to be permanent and/or progressive in nature.
Research
has shown that with intervention begun by age 6 months, hearing impaired
children have a very good chance of reaching a level of language skill
close to that of their peers by the time they enter school.
Therefore continued monitoring of the infants hearing maybe
warranted even if the newborn passes the hearing screening.
Click
here for a
listing of indicators for children who are at risk for late onset or
progressive hearing loss.
It is our understanding that Medicaid will
provide $1325.00 per programmable digital or analog aid and $925.00 per
non-programmable hearing aid. Ear
molds are also provided at $50.00 / ear mold.
Children
under the age of three, who are not eligible for Medicaid, may be
eligible for district health funds to cover part of the cost for hearing
aids. In order to be
eligible for such funds, the diagnostic evaluation must be performed by
a licensed audiologist and include the assessment elements outlined in
the Recommended Guidelines for the Georgia Universal Newborn Hearing
Screening and Intervention Initiative.
Copies of these guidelines are available on line at www.health.state.ga.us/programs/unhs.
Georgia Resource Guide for Families of Children with Hearing Loss is a
free booklet written for parents and families of children with hearing
loss. The primary purpose of the guide is to provide all parents with
basic and unbiased information regarding: 1) hearing loss, its effects
and implications, 2) communication options, 3) state agency programs and
services, and, 5) local, state, and national resources. It can also be
used as a practical reference tool for audiologists, physicians and
early intervention agencies in providing patient education.
Click here to view
the PDF on line version of the guide.
For the local newborn hearing
screening contact for your area please
click here.
Babies Can't Wait (BCW)
BCW is
Georgia's statewide interagency service delivery system for infants and
toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families.
BCW is established by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/geninfo.html which guarantees
all eligible children, regardless of their disability, access to
services that will enhance their development.
The
Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health is the
lead agency administering the Babies Can't Wait Program in Georgia. The
Division ensures that: services are provided in accordance with federal
guidelines; families have access to the services which are needed to
enhance their child's development; and training is available to ensure
that professionals who work with children and families have up-to-date
information.
Babies
Can't Wait is administered through 18 District offices throughout the
state. Through the 18 offices, children and families in every county in
Georgia can access early intervention services. Anyone can refer a child
to Babies Can't Wait; use the Children 1st Screening and Referral form
to refer families to the Children 1st Coordinator for the county in
which the child resides.
Babies
Can't Wait has created some frequently asked question flyers to provide
physicians and families with an overview of aspects of their program.
Click on the title of the flyers you wish to view:
Getting Started in Babies Can't Wait
Primary Service Delivery/Coaching Model
Required Referrals for Substance-Exposed Infants to Babies Can't Wait
Georgia's
Online Analytical Statistical Information System ( OASIS )
OASIS
is maintained by the Office of Health Information and Policy which can
be used to access the Georgia Division of Public Health's standardized
health data repository. Click
here to visit the Oasis portal.
http://oasis.state.ga.us/
and provides aggregate birth and death data by counties and by years.
Georgia
Birth Defects Reporting and Information System
The Georgia Birth Defects
Reporting and Information System (GBDRIS) is a surveillance system
designed to provide information on incidence, prevalence, trend and
epidemiology of birth defects. Cases
of birth defects are reportable to the Division of Public Health through
the GBDRIS within 7 days of the confirmatory diagnosis.
Reports can be reproduced or downloaded from the web at
http://health.state.ga.us/epi/mch/birthdefects/gbdris/index.asp.
Georgia Childhood Lead
Poisoning Prevention Program (GCLPP)
The mission of the GCLPPP, in
keeping with the proposed HealthyPeople 2010 objective, is to eliminate
childhood lead poisoning in Georgia. For information on Screening, Lab
Submission, and Reporting Guidelines
click
here.
School
Health
The Building Bridges
Calendar and Building Bridges Newsletter are two new valuable resources
for school health nurses and other professionals. Both the calendar and
newsletter, designed to provide health information and resources on
school health topics requested by school nurses in Georgia, have
received favorable reviews.
Click
here to view the interactive online version of the calendar, which
is continually updated to reflect the latest schedule of educational
opportunities. The calendar is the result of collaboration between
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Human
Resources, Division of Public Health, Office of Infant and Child Health,
School Health Program.
SIDS
Alliance
The
SIDS Alliance of Georgia and the Division of Public Health are dedicated
to supporting families coping with SIDS.
For more information visit http://sidsga.org.
or call The SIDS Alliance 24 Hour Hotline: 1 (800) 221-7437The SIDS rate
has decreased by a total of 42% after the start of the Back to Sleep
Campaign and the adoption of the American Academy of Pediatrics 1992
recommendation to place infants to sleep on their backs. However, SIDS
is still the number one cause of death for infants from one month to one
year of age. The risk of SIDS is double for African-American infants,
and two and one-half times greater for Native Americans. In addition,
one-fifth of all SIDS occur in day care. Listed below are links to
information that can assist in providing support to families who have
experienced a loss as a result of SIDS and professional publications
related to SIDS.
Georgia
Chapter
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