UM/JACKSON HONORED WITH FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH’S INFANT HEARING AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Miami, FL – The newborn hearing program for babies born at Jackson Memorial Hospital was recently recognized by the Florida Department of Health. The program, run by a medical team from the Mailman Center for Childhood Development at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was honored with the state’s Infant Hearing Award of Excellence.

The prestigious award recognizes Florida hospitals that screen all newborn babies prior to discharge from the hospital, report all of their hearing screening results to the state, have a low referral rate on their hearing screenings and have good follow-up – all the way through diagnosis – for those babies who refer on their hearing screening while in the hospital.

“Babies born at Jackson receive the highest quality of care from an exceptional medical team that is focused on the infant’s long term health and well-being,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “This honor is a testament to our team’s commitment towards early identification and early intervention of hearing loss.”

“We hold responsibility for literally all parts of the newborn hearing program from screening to diagnosis to intervention coordination and ongoing follow-up,” said Robert C. Fifer, Ph.D., director of audiology and speech language pathology at the Mailman Center for Child Development. “Most newborn screening programs perform only the screening in the hospital and nothing more. Generally, when we find a child with hearing loss, we develop a long, ongoing relationship with the family by virtue of the follow-up services required.”

The hearing screenings are conducted on all newborns in the Jackson Memorial Hospital nursery, as well those in the Schatzi Kassal Project: New Born Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, and referrals from Jackson North Medical Center and Jackson South Community Hospital. Referrals to the UM/Jackson team are also sent from other hospitals and area pediatricians, to provide outpatient follow-up services for infants younger than six months.

During screenings, babies with a risk factor that could be associated with delayed onset hearing loss are seen for follow-ups as necessary. Those who do not pass the newborn hearing screening, are scheduled for an outpatient appointment to either re-screen or for full diagnostics. And, if necessary, the UM/Jackson team can assist in scheduling medical appointments with otolaryngology, ophthalmology, and genetics, as well as obtaining medical clearance for hearing aids.

Research has shown that if hearing loss can be identified early – prior to six months of age – and intervention can begin, that a child has a good probability of developing age appropriate language skills. Delays of finding hearing loss and beginning intervention after six months often result in language skills and cognitive abilities being compromised.