MIKE RAMIREZ: michael-ramirez@uiowa.edu
The Iowa Newborn Screening Program is among
the fastest in the nation in delivering test results to
health care providers, creating a greater opportunity
for interventions that can improve outcomes for
babies affected by a genetic disorder. The Newborn Screening section identifies infants
at risk for more than 50 inherited conditions by
testing a small blood spot obtained from a simple
heel stick shortly after birth. At this age, most
infants with an inherited condition show no obvious
signs of disease. However, with special tests, the
Iowa Newborn Screening Program can identify
an infant who may be at risk and alert the doctor
and caregivers of the need for immediate medical
treatment for the infant. With early diagnosis and medical treatment,
complications from these serious, but uncommon,
conditions can usually be prevented. The goal is
to identify the disorder before the disorder causes
damaging health effects. The Iowa Newborn Screening Program is part
of the Iowa Department of Public Health, and
is a collaborative effort between the IDPH, the
State Hygienic Laboratory, the University of Iowa
Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Central Delivery Service of Iowa, and Iowa birthing and newborn care providers. In addition to Iowa, the Hygienic
Laboratory provides newborn screening testing for
North Dakota and South Dakota.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Integrated screening for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) into the South Dakota newborn blood spot screening panel on Sept 1, 2015. SCID is the first condition to directly use a DNA target as the marker for the disorder and the first condition identified through newborn screening for which a cure is available.
- Gave a “Best Practices in Newborn Screening” presentation to health care professionals representing seven hospitals in northwest Iowa.
- Chosen to be part of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) project on specimen submission timeliness in newborn screening. The goal is to ensure all specimens are received for testing within 60 hours of birth.
- Hosted the “Iowa CoIIN for Timeliness in Newborn Screening” webinar and made onsite visits to several hospitals across Iowa to educate nursery and lab staff regarding best practices for bloodspot collection and to discuss timeliness goals.
- Iowa lab and clinical staff gave the “Newborn Screening Timeliness” presentation at the North Dakota Newborn Screening Conference, which was attended by more than 100 health care professionals.
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Other Units in Disease Control
The Office of the Director consists of 10 key functional units that enable the State Hygienic Laboratory to achieve its statutory charge set forth in the Iowa Administrative Code.
The primary mission of the Disease Control Division is to test human specimens, food and water for diseases of public health significance to protect the citizens of Iowa.
The Environmental Health Division monitors drinking water, wastewater, air, soil and food for contaminants of potential environmental and public health concern.
The Division of Administration and Finance is responsible for the management of the business practices, all Hygienic Laboratory facilities, and pre/post testing support.