Health Care for Children & Youth

Vermont Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Program

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 18:53:18 +0000

Vermont Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Program

The Vermont Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (VTEHDI) Program supports newborn and early periodic hearing screenings in collaboration with birth hospitals and other community providers, such as audiologists, early head start, homebirth midwives and primary care professionals.

These partnerships ensure timely follow-up to screening and appropriate referrals for diagnostic hearing testing and early intervention services.

Hearing screening and diagnostic results are sent to the VTEHDI Program by health care professionals for all babies born in Vermont. VTEHDI provides support and coordination of services for families and their babies throughout the newborn hearing screening process. VTEHDI works with state and national agencies and organizations to achieve the National 1,3,6 EHDI goals which are:

Screen before 1 month
Diagnose before 3 months
Early Intervention before 6 months

1,3,6 Roadmap for Families

ADMIN_bailey.bradley Tue, 11/08/2016 - 13:53

Resources for Educators and Providers

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 14:20:39 +0000

Resources for Educators and Providers

Maternal and Child Health is now: Family and Child Health!

We’ve changed our name, but not our services.

Read this FAQ for more information

vdhadmin Mon, 07/18/2016 - 10:20

Periodicity Schedules and Developmental Assessment Resources

Resource	Description
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Services (EPSDT)	Medicaid benefit for children and adolescents to access comprehensive and preventive health care services. Vermont provides the schedules for preventative health and dental care, as well as periodic screening, vision, and hearing services for children under the age of 21.
Bright Futures – Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents	National health promotion and prevention guideline Vermont follows for it’s EPSDT periodicity schedule. These guidelines provide evidence-driven and theory-based guidance for all preventive care screenings and well care visits, ideally happening in the child’s medical home.
Vermont’s Dental Periodicity Schedule	Schedules for preventative dental care for children under the age of 21, ideally happening in the child’s dental home.

Resources and Referrals for Families

Resource	Description
Children with Special Health Needs	Supports children with complex, chronic health conditions and/or developmental disorders, ages birth to-21.
Home Visiting Agencies	Services including home visits by nurses, speech therapists, physical and occupational therapists, wound care specialists, social workers, home health aides, personal care attendants and others.
Children’s Integrated Services	CIS offers early intervention, family support, and prevention services to help ensure the healthy development and well-being of children, pre-birth to age 5.
Lactation Support	In-home and telehealth options for support with breast/chestfeeding.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)	Food benefits, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, counseling and programs for pregnant Vermonters, parents and caregivers with children under 5.
Help Me Grow Vermont	Resource and referral hub to connect families with any supports they may need.
Child Passenger Safety	Certified safety technicians are available to help at Car Seat Assistance Centers throughout Vermont.
Local Health Offices	Connect patients with their Office of Local Health for assistance finding more local community supports.
Vermont Health Connect	Information about health insurance plans, eligibility, and contact someone to receive in-person help when choosing insurance plans. Call 855-899-9600.
Green Mountain Care	Medicaid and Dr. Dynasaur for Vermonters. Dr. Dynasaur is low-cost or free health insurance for children, teenagers under age 19, and for pregnant people. Call 1-800-250-8427 for more information.
Vermont Family Network	Resources and support for Vermont children, youth, and families, especially those with disabilities or special health needs. Call 1-802-876-5315.

Partnering with Schools

Schools are important partners in the effort to ensure all students have health insurance, medical and dental homes, and are receiving age-appropriate preventative dental and health care. Some of the many ways schools can support these efforts are:

Identify families that are uninsured and help them to get health insurance
Encourage all school-aged children to have a medical and dental home and to visit them each year for age-appropriate preventative care.
Collaborate with local primary care providers to establish relationships that could decrease barriers to accessing care, and support your school’s work toward increasing annual well care visit rates
Educate families and staff to provide information about recommended annual well care visits. This should include the difference between well care visits and other types of visits (like sick or injury related visits). Social media, the school website and handbook, can be used to support this education. Identify students who do not have a current annual well care visit documented and provide notification and recommendation to students and families.
Periodically screen students for hearing and vision according to the Standards of Practice: School Health Services Manual (Screening), refer students to their medical home as needed, and coordinate with health care providers on outcomes. Ensure referrals happen in a timely manner and that students are receiving appropriate services to address diagnosed condition.

Vermont Newborn Screening Program

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 14:20:39 +0000

Vermont Newborn Screening Program

Did you know that babies in Vermont are screened for 35 serious health problems soon after birth? When a baby is between 24 and 48 hours old, a small amount of the baby's blood is tested for 33 rare health problems that can cause serious illness or death. Two other tests which don't require blood will also be done at the hospital to check for problems with the baby's hearing or heart. Babies who are born at home can have their newborn screening tests done by a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM).

vdhadmin Mon, 07/18/2016 - 10:20

Information for Parents and Guardians

Why does my baby need newborn screening tests?

We recommend that all babies get newborn screening tests, even if they are healthy.
Newborn screening tests check the baby's blood for rare health problems that can cause illness or death.
When these health problems are found early by testing, babies can get the treatment and care they need.
Most babies are healthy when they are born but it is still important to test.

How will my baby be tested?

A health care professional will take a small amount of blood from your baby's heel and send it to the laboratory.
The health care professional will also check for hearing and heart problems. These tests don't require any blood.
Parents or guardians who do not want to have their baby tested can decline by signing a form. A health care professional should explain the risk of not having the tests before the form is signed.

How will I get the results of the tests?

Your baby's health care professional will tell you the results.
It can take a few days before the blood test results are ready.
The results from the hearing and heart tests are available right away.

Why would my baby need to have another test?

If the test is done before your baby is 24 hours old.
If there was a problem with the way the test was done.
If the results of the first test showed a possible health problem.

What do I do if my baby needs another test?

Your baby's health care professional or the Newborn Screening Program will contact you if your baby needs another test. They will tell you why your baby needs another test and what to do next.
It is important to follow the health care professional's instructions and taker your baby to get the test.
Make sure that the hospital and your baby's health care professional have your address and phone number in case they need to talk to you about the test results.

What happens to my baby's blood sample?

In Vermont, blood samples are stored at the laboratory and destroyed after one year. The sample can be destroyed sooner or saved longer by sending a written request to the Vermont Newborn Screening Program.

Resources for Families

Children with Special Health Needs CSHN supports children with complex, chronic health conditions and/or developmental disorders, ages birth - 21, and their families, with flexible, experienced, and proactive services.

Expecting Health - Newborn Screening Family Education Opportunities for families to learn about newborn screening.

Baby's First Test Nation's resource center for newborn screening information. This provides current educational and family resources about newborn screening at the local, state, and national levels.

Brochure for Families:

Declination to Consent Form:

Declination to Consent to Repeat Screening Form:

Specimen Destruction Request

Resources for Providers

Centers for Disease Control - Newborn Screening General information from the CDC on newborn blood screening, hearing loss screening, and CCHD screening

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Training video for newborn screening dried blood spot specimen collection.

Guidance/Reference Documents:

Understanding and Communicating NBS Results Toolkit Resources to learn more about what newborn screening results mean and how to support families through the process of receiving their child's results.

American College of Medical Genetics ACT Sheets ACT sheets and algorithms on genetic conditions to help inform clinical decision making.

Referral Protocol for Newborns with Positive CCHD Screens Contact information and process for referring newborns with abnormal CCHD screens.

Acute Illness Protocols These emergency protocols are intended as guidelines only. They should not be used for definitive treatment without consulting with a metabolic specialist.

Baby's First Test Up-to-date information on some of the most commonly asked questions about newborn screening.

Vermont Newborn Screening Program
Vermont Department of Health
280 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671-8360

[email protected]">[email protected] (non-urgent inquiries only)

Tel: 800-660-4427 (VT Only) or 802-951-5180
Fax: 802-951-1218

Find Health Insurance

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 14:20:39 +0000

Find Health Insurance

Health insurance is the first step in being able to access health care and screenings for children and youth. The Vermont Department of Health wants to ensure all children have health insurance, medical and dental homes, and families are receiving all recommended age-appropriate health care. Signing your child up for insurance lets you work with health care professionals to identify and address your child’s specific physical, emotional, and developmental needs to keep them healthy.

Insurance	information
Dr. Dynasaur- Medicaid	Low-cost or free health insurance for children, teenagers under age 19, and for pregnant people. Call 1-800-250-8427 for more information about what services are covered.
Vermont Health Connect	Information about health insurance plans, determine which plans you may be eligible for, make changes to your existing plan purchased through Vermont Health Connect, report a change in circumstance, and contact someone to receive in-person help when choosing your insurance plan. Call 855-899-9600
Preventative Care Schedule	Learn about the recommended health screenings for your child from birth to age 21 years.
Insurance for Adults	Learn more about options for insurance for adults in Vermont.

If you are an educator or provider looking for resources, please see the Resources for Educators and Providers page.

vdhadmin Mon, 07/18/2016 - 10:20