Faculty from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the U of A teamed up with the non-profit organization Arkansas Hands and Voices as well as the Arkansas Department of Health Infant Hearing Program to develop a study to design and target interventions to promote timely follow-up for failed newborn hearing screenings.

Arkansas mandated universal newborn hearing screenings in 1999 and has since seen a high compliance rate of completed initial screenings (over 98%). However, Arkansas continues to fall short in the follow-up for those who fail the initial screening, with 40-60% of children who fail the initial screening not currently getting the follow-up and intervention recommended. There is a need to understand why Arkansas continues to have such a high rate of failure to follow up compared to the national average of 25%.

The leadership team for this project consists of Deanne King and Charia Hall of UAMS; Rachel Glade of the U of A; Mandy Jay, Liana Robbins and Angelina Myers of Arkansas Hands and Voices; and Kim Scott of the Infant Hearing Program. This team completed a year-long training process through the Community Based Participatory Research Scholars Program provided through UAMS' Translational Research Institute.

They were awarded $50,000 to continue their efforts, which will include collecting and analyzing data to understand the factors that lead to failure to follow up after failed newborn hearing screenings in Arkansas. The team is currently collecting data and has a multi-phase plan to analyze data and continue additional research efforts.

"Arkansas Hands and Voices is thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with professionals who are intentionally reaching out to families to learn more about how we can all better serve Arkansas families in the future," said Mandy Jay, Guide By Your Side coordinator for Arkansas Hands and Voices.

"This leadership group combines the expertise of researchers, practitioners and state stakeholders with Arkansans who have first-hand knowledge and life experience with children with hearing loss. This is a unique opportunity to work together to improve the quality of care for children with hearing loss in our state," commented Rachel Glade, program director for the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at the U of A.