For immediate release: May 30, 2024
Media contact: Niala Charles
Mobile: 480-318-6337
Email: pio@azdhs.gov

Arizona Department of Health Services Receives HRSA Grant to Elevate Newborn Hearing Screening and Language Acquisition Statewide

PHOENIX —The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Office of Newborn Screening and the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH), would like to proudly announce the award of a five-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The total grant award will be up to $235,000 per year.

ADHS and ACDHH formed a strategic partnership to bring these grant funds to Arizona to ensure newborns, infants, and toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing receive timely hearing screening, diagnosis, and early intervention services. 

Fran Altmaier, Arizona Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (AzEHDI) coordinator, articulated the project's overarching goals. 

"Our aim is to ensure that every child, regardless of hearing levels, has access to language and early intervention services to support their developmental milestones,” she said. “We will also support their families through this process.”

The ADHS and ACDHH team will also collaborate with partners at the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP), and will contract with organizations such as Arizona Hands and Voices (AZHV), to implement this initiative and to optimize outcomes for newborns with varying hearing levels.  This partnership highlights ADHS' commitment to quality pediatric healthcare for all children in Arizona.

“The AzEIP team is excited to see the arrival of these funds to further progress early hearing intervention for Arizona’s infants and toddlers,” said DES AzEIP Program Administrator, Ena Binns. 

To ensure seamless execution and oversight of the project, ADHS will establish an EHDI advisory committee, with leadership from the ACDHH team.