Summary
The Washington State Department of Health (Department) tests all babies born in Washington for rare but treatable health issues. The Department completes this test using a small blood spot sample collected from a baby’s foot. This process is also called “newborn screening.” Washington law requires that the State Board of Health (Board) create rules for newborn screening. This includes the list of conditions that all babies are tested for after birth.
For More Information
Statutory Authority: RCW 70.83.050
Board Contact: Kelly Kramer, kelly.kramer@sboh.wa.gov
Department of Health Contact: John Thompson, john.tompson@doh.wa.gov
If you want updates about this project, sign up for emails for the Newborn Screening email list.
Additional Background
The Board and Department have a strong newborn screening condition review process that prioritizes evidence, ethics and equity, and cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness. Members of the public, staff at the Department of Health, or Board Members can request that the Board review a particular condition for possible inclusion in the NBS panel. To determine which conditions to include in the newborn screening panel, the Board convenes an advisory committee to evaluate candidate conditions using guiding principles and an established set of criteria. The Board last reviewed the newborn screening criteria in 2015.
During the 2024 legislative session, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 6234 and Senate Bill 5829 directing the Board to consider adding conditions branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase deficiency (BCKDK) and congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) to the mandatory newborn screening panel, respectively. The Board will convene technical advisory committee (TAC) meetings and use the updated criteria to review these conditions.
The Board has appointed standing TAC members to complete the newborn screening criteria review project, along with the review of cCMV and BCKDK. To orient the TAC members, the Board has created two informational videos, NBS TAC Orientation by Kelly Kramer and NBS TAC Orientation by Dr. John Thompson. The Board requests that the TAC members review these videos before the first TAC meeting on October 28, 2024.
TAC Meeting
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Newborn Screening Criteria Review TAC- October 28, 2024, at the Public Health Laboratory in Shoreline, WA
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BCKDK TAC- Tentatively January 2025
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cCMV TAC- Tentatively February 2025
