In honor of Tiny’s 20 month birthday I’d like to share with you a special call to action! We need to make sure the Newborn Screening Reauthorization Act gains as many co-sponsors as possible.
Did you know that ONE in every 300 babies born in the United States has a condition that could be easily identified through Newborn Screening? It’s non-invasive and could mean the difference between a baby having a healthy life OR winding up with a delay, major health issues, or even dying unexpectedly.
The Act provides federal assistance to state programs to expand their newborn screening process, provide parent and medical professional education, and other valuable programs.
The screening is inexpensive, especially in comparison to the associated costs with a baby becoming very sick unexpectedly!
It is super easy to help out. The March of Dimes has made their “Take Action” process very simple and quick!
The March of Dimes needs your help!
The following is copied and pasted directly from an Action alert I received form the March of Dimes Advocacy page. If you click on the Take Action words, it will take you directly to probably the easiest form in the world to quickly fill out. You just enter your name and information, and the special magical creatures inside the world wide web make the rest happen.
Seriously, taking action couldn’t be easier! And this is one of the most NON CONTROVERSIAL pieces of legislation ever, but they still need to hear from their constituents that this is important.
Anyone can participate, but if you have a personal story about how newborn screening helped your baby, be sure to add it!
Urge your U.S. Senators and Representative to cosponsor the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act Today!
Today, Senators Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act (S. 1417), legislation vital to ensuring all infants receive comprehensive and life-saving newborn screenings. Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Mike Simpson (R-ID) introduced a companion bill, H.R. 1281, on March 20. We need your help recruiting as many cosponsors as possible during the month of August – the more cosponsors, the more quickly this legislation is likely to be passed into law! Click “Take Action” now to send an email to your Senators and Representative requesting he/she cosponsor and support the passage of this important legislation!
Approximately one in every 300 infants born in the United States has a condition that can be detected through newborn screening. For those babies, early identification and treatment can mean the difference between a healthy childhood and lifelong disability, developmental delay, or even death. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act (S. 1417/H.R. 1281) will renew federal programs that provide support for state efforts to ensure that every newborn is tested for over 30 treatable conditions present at birth.
This year is the 50th anniversary of newborn screening. For half a century, this vital activity has saved tens of thousands of infants from potentially fatal conditions. Tell your Members of Congress that newborn screening is important by taking action now! When you take action, feel free to include your personal experiences with newborn screening in your letter. It’s important to educate our elected officials on how much these tests are valued by families because they save lives, provide information to help keep children healthy, and peace of mind to families who can know that their babies are healthy.
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The Dose of Reality says
August 12, 2013 at 10:46 amI will definitely be doing this. I actually write my representatives all the time, so I am HAPPY to do so for this very important cause. –Lisa PS. YAY Kay Hagan! Love when my senators do stuff I love!
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katbiggie says
August 12, 2013 at 11:02 amThanks Lisa! I’m glad you are engaged in the process! I would love it IF my senators would do ANYTHING I loved, but it hasn’t happened in awhile!
Tamara says
August 12, 2013 at 4:55 pmYay Kay Hagan is right! I didn’t know the statistics but I can imagine considering stories I have heard that happened to close friends of mine. I will definitely be proactive.
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Leah Davidson says
August 12, 2013 at 8:29 pmThanks for the info. I’m in Canada, so I wonder that the protocol is now (it’s been a while since I had my babies). I’ll have to check!
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Ilene says
August 13, 2013 at 7:57 amI am sharing the heck out of this today. Such important information.
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JDaniel4's Mom says
August 13, 2013 at 8:01 amI am going to share this. It is super important.
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another jennifer says
August 13, 2013 at 8:58 amDone! That was super easy. I will tweet as well! This is so important.
another jennifer recently posted…Celebrating International Left Handers’ Day with All Things Left-Handed!
katbiggie says
August 13, 2013 at 9:06 amThank you! Yes, they do make it so easy these days! I appreciate you taking the time to do this! Welcome back, I really missed you!
Siri says
September 12, 2014 at 2:10 amHi Kat,
A serious and important issue. Thanks for bringing it for public notice.
We in India have started understanding the importance of newborn screening, more and more hospitals are encouraging it. We are starting to have some specialized labs for testing genetic disorders and newborn screening.
Siri