April Oxendale, a newborn screening analyst for UHL, prepares an infants blood sample to test for congenital disorders. South Dakota selected UHL to provide support for their newborn screening program beginning June 1. UHL also provides testing for children born in Iowa, North Dakota and Louisiana.

"South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa are all part of the Heartland Region of newborn screening laboratories," explains UHL Interim Director Chris Atchison. "Laboratories in this region regularly collaborate on ways to advance testing methods that detect congenital conditions from the earliest moments of life. The support UHL will provide to the South Dakota newborn screening program and the regional sharing of this highly specialized screening expertise benefit the children and their families in all three states."

The UHL, as Iowa's environmental and public health laboratory, is designated by the Iowa Department of Public Health as the central laboratory for the Iowa Metabolic Newborn Screening program, and provides screening for some 40,000 infants born in Iowa each year. In 1992, UHL began newborn screening for about 10,000 babies born annually in North Dakota.

UHL has aided the Louisiana Office of Public Health since September 2005 by providing the laboratory testing for that state's newborn screening program after the Louisiana public health laboratory in New Orleans was destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"Newborn screening is not just a test; it is the whole process," explains Dr. Stanton Berberich, UHL program manager for newborn screening. "You need to collect the specimen, obtain a valid test result and, if there is an abnormal screen result, you need to very quickly follow up to confirm if the child has the disorder. If so, the child must quickly receive appropriate interventions or treatment to prevent severe problems.

"One of the things that historically has been a real challenge is the border area where babies live in one state and they are born in another," Stan adds. "It can be very difficult to ensure that every baby is tested and followed appropriately to make sure that any abnormal test is resolved. Being part of a regional program allows us to address these issues most directly to ensure the best outcomes for the babies and their families."

Newborn screening is performed with a tiny sample of blood that is collected shortly after birth using a heel-prick procedure. From a few drops of blood, UHL is able to test for up to 40 disorders. This includes the 28 core disorders recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics and a number of additional disorders. Left undetected and untreated, these disorders can cause severe developmental delays, coma or death.