EHDI Program Eliminated

On April 1, President Trump’s administration eliminated 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 slashed about 2,400 employees. EHDI had eight full-time workers and one fellow; all but one of the positions were eliminated.

The American Academy of Audiology is sending a letter in opposition to the program’s elimination to Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The letter also requests that the funding Congress has previously allocated be given to EHDI programs.