1982

Legislation was enacted giving the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH)responsibility for developing and implementing a program to identify and track infants with hearing loss. A broad-based newborn hearing screening advisory group was named to develop guidelines for the program. The legislation also required the  Commissioner of Health to develop rules and guidelines to accomplish the provisions of the act.

1983

The Newborn Hearing Screening Program (NHSP) was established in August 1983 making Oklahoma the fifth state to institute a newborn hearing screening program. 

Mid-1990s

Almost 95% of Oklahoma newborns were being screened each year. However, data indicated that about half of the infants ultimately diagnosed with a hearing loss were not ones who had a positive risk screen at birth, and most of these identified infants had experienced hearing loss from birth. Advances in technology led to the development of equipment for the newborn nursery that could provide actual physiologic screening of an infant’s hearing.

1997

In January 1997, two Oklahoma hospitals began offering screenings with the new physiological screening technology. Financial assistance from the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) program in late 1997 allowed the OSDH to purchase this equipment for 18 hospitals.

1999

Additional CSHCN funding allowed the purchase of screening equipment for all Oklahoma birthing facilities.

2000

Newborn hearing screening legislation was updated in 2000 requiring that every newborn be provided with physiologic hearing screening prior to discharge along with hearing “risk” screening. 

2002

By March 2002, all birthing hospitals in Oklahoma were equipped with physiologic hearing screening technology.

2003

The NHSP tracking system was combined with the one used by the Newborn Blood Sport Screening Program (NBS). If a baby did not pass the hospital screening or is not screened prior to discharge, the enhanced system enabled the NHSP to contact an infant’s family and medical home within days of the birth to follow-up with diagnostic audiological assessments. If hearing loss is confirmed, families could be linked to an appropriate early intervention service provider, such as SoonerStart.

2004

Every year since 2004, about 95% of Oklahoma babies have had hearing screened prior to hospital discharge.