Newborn Screening Rules Update: Adding Spinal Muscular Atrophy to State’s Newborn Screening Panel
Funding to add spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to the list of conditions for which newborns are screened for in Washington was approved by state representatives during the 2020 legislative session.
The State Board of Health (Board) defines and adopts rules for screening infants for heritable conditions in Washington. Board members approved to add SMA to the newborn screening panel in 2019.
Board staff initiated rulemaking following the Board’s decision, and worked with our public health partners, leading healthcare professionals, and interested parties through a series of technical advisory committee meetings to determine if SMA met the criteria established by the Board that determines which conditions to include in the state’s Newborn Screening Panel.
During our April meeting, Board staff provided a briefing on the rulemaking project. With our colleagues at the state Department of Health, staff summarized the work done so far, discussed the legislature’s funding for SMA, and gave recommendations for next steps in the rule process. Read the meeting memo for more information or visit our April 8 meeting web page for the full list of meeting materials or the rulemaking web page.
