The Newborn Screening (NBS) Laboratory provides testing services in support of the Texas Newborn Screening Program—testing about 800,000 newborn specimens each year. Texas law (Health and Safety Code, Chapter 33) requires these laboratory tests to help find infants who may have one of the 28 disorders or medical conditions.
The test requires a simple heel stick blood sample collected from newborns shortly after birth and again at one to two weeks of age. If the laboratory test detects an infant with an abnormal result, the NBS Program's Clinical Care Coordination team initiates the process of follow-up with a health care provider for confirmatory testing.
The Texas Newborn Screening Program began as a pilot in 1963, until the program was legislatively mandated in 1965. With the addition of cystic fibrosis testing in December 2009, the NBS Laboratory currently tests every infant born in Texas for 28 disorders. Hearing screening for newborns, conducted at the birthing facility, is another important service included in the NBS Program. In addition to oversight by the Commissioner of Health, the NBS Program obtains guidance from the legislatively appointed Newborn Screening Advisory Committee.
Early detection of these 28 disorders allows early treatment that can prevent serious complications, such as growth problems, developmental delays, deafness, blindness, intellectual disabilities, seizures, and early death.
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