DHDD Newsletter – March 2021

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Virtual Conference

Members of DHDD’s Early Hearing Detention and Intervention (EHDI) program participated in the virtual 2021 National EHDI Meeting, which was held on March 1st – 5th and included more than 1,600 registered participants. CDC staff co-presented about the work being done by the new NCBDDD Outcomes and Developmental Data Assistance Center for EHDI (ODDACE), attended presentations about the latest findings related to early identification and intervention services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and engaged in virtual discussions with attendees.

Visit the virtual 2021 National EHDI Meeting Website

2021 NHCA Media Award Awarded to the CDC NIHL Workgroup

Congratulations to Eric Cahill, a member of DHDD’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program and CDC’s Noise Induced Hearing Loss Workgroup. This CDC workgroup received the National Hearing Conservation Association’s Media Award for 2021 for their contributions to raising the public awareness for the risk of hearing loss and how to prevent it.

From 2018 to 2019 CDC’s NCEH group worked to develop unique communication tools highlighted as part of the Superbowl and posted throughout the Atlanta Jackson-Hartsfield Airport to raise the awareness of travelers regarding the hazards of high levels of noise. Similar advertisements were featured in the programs for NBA’s Allstar game, NASCAR and Indy-car racing events, and the NHL games in Atlanta. In the fall of 2019, animated images to instruct people about how to properly fit an earplug and a short video about Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) were developed. These formed the basis of two communication products featured on the large displays in Times-Square in New York City during the 2019 Thanksgiving Day festivities and the 2019 New Year’s Eve celebration. More than a million persons had opportunity to learn about how to protect their hearing because of these efforts!

Learn more about Noise Induced Hearing Loss

New Resources

CDC’s Milestone Tracker App Has a New Look!

CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program is excited to announce that its popular Milestone Tracker app has a new and improved look and user experience! A recent update now gives users the ability to add a photo of their child and complete a checklist using corrected age for children born prematurely. The app also features a more engaging tips and activities section, interactive milestone checklist design, and more!

Existing app users will notice these new enhancements either automatically (if their device is set to automatically update), or after manually updating the app. We hope you will download the updated version from the App Store or Google Play today.

Interested in promoting the new version of CDC’s Milestone Tracker app to families? Download the new promotional toolkit in English or Spanish for shareable social media graphics, newsletter content and more.

Now Open for Applications for CDC Funding Opportunity: Improving the Health of People with Mobility Limitations and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities through State-based Public Health Programs (CDC-RFA-DD21-2103)

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disabilities, announces the publication of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) CDC-RFA-DD21-2103: Improving the Health of People with Mobility Limitations and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities through State-based Public Health Programs. This NOFO supports a new five-year, non-research cooperative agreement to address statewide or jurisdictional needs related to reducing health disparities among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and adults with mobility limitations (ML) in the United States. More information can be found at www.grants.gov. The following are some key dates:

• Requested but not required, the Letter of Intent (LOI) should be sent to lsinclair@cdc.gov by March 26, 2021;
• An informational call for interested applicants will be held on March 31, 2021 at 2:00PM
  ET, via Join Skype Meeting, or by calling (770) 488-3600 and entering passcode 8019483#.
• Applications are due into Grants.gov by May 11th , 2021 at 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time.

AUCD, ASTHO and NACCHO Webinar Series: COVID-19 Vaccination and Reaching People with Disabilities

Join the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials organizations (ASTHO), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), state-level jurisdictions, and CDC guests to hear about promising practices on how states are reaching people with disabilities (PWD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Webinar #1 – Navigation: Promising practices for scheduling and transporting PWD to COVID-19 vaccination appointments
  Tuesday, March 30, 1pm-2pm ET | REGISTER
• Webinar #2 – Consideration: Promising practices for vaccinating family members of PWD and those who are homebound
  Wednesday, March 31, 1pm-2pm ET | REGISTER
• Webinar #3 – Communication: Promising practices for reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and disseminating accessible messages
  Wednesday, April 7, 1pm-2pm ET | REGISTER
• Webinar #4 – Prioritization: Promising practices for educating others about the importance of disability prioritizing in state vaccination plans
  Thursday, April 8, 1pm-2pm ET | REGISTER

Publications

New School Readiness Measure Shows Preschoolers Need More Support

A recent study led by HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, co-authored by researchers from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and published in Academic Pediatrics examined school readiness, including a new measure called “Healthy and Ready to Learn,” (HRL) as well as associated sociodemographic, health, family and neighborhood factors.

The HRL measure evaluated how well children ages 3 to 5 are prepared for kindergarten based on parent-reported information gathered through the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health. This annual survey, funded and directed by HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, provides national and state data on children’s health and well-being. School readiness factors incorporated into the HRL measure were early learning skills, social-emotional development, self-regulation and physical well-being and motor development. Students fall into one of three HRL categories: on-track, needs support and at risk.

Overall, the study found that only about four in 10 U.S. children were fully on-track based on the HRL measure. The study suggests there are significant opportunities to improve young children’s readiness to start school.

Read more about the study, Healthy and Ready to Learn: Prevalence and Correlates of School Readiness among US Preschoolers

State-level Health Care Expenditures Associated with Disability

A new study published in Public Health Reports updates state-level estimates of disability-associated health care expenditures (DAHE) generated more than a decade ago. Researchers found that national DAHE in 2015 were $868 billion at 2017 prices, ranging from $1.4 billion in Wyoming to $102.8 billion in California. These estimates can inform the development of public health policies and programs that support and provide health care to people with disabilities.

Read the scientific summary.