Tuesday, May 20, 2025
5/20/2025
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Information System Surveillance Program - The Arkansas Department of Health’s Infant Hearing Program (IHP) serves as the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) team for the state of Arkansas. The Infant Hearing Program strives to ensure EHDI 1-3-6 best practice guidelines are followed by all included in the EHDI system throughout the state. The guidelines consist of all newborns receiving a hearing screening before one month of age, diagnostic audiologic evaluation before three months of age for those who do not pass the screening, and enrollment in early intervention services before six months of age for infants receiving a hearing loss diagnosis. Arkansas’ Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Information System (EHDI-IS), the Electronic Registration of Arkansas Vital Events (ERAVE), enables authorized users to securely manage and submit reports of vital events including births, infant hearing records and deaths via the web-based database. The IHP uses ERAVE to maintain data collection to identify children with hearing loss throughout the EHDI process. Hearing screening data, diagnostic test results and early intervention (EI) data from birthing hospitals, physicians, audiologists and EI service providers are entered by providers then monitored by the IHP to ensure children and families are on their journey through the EHDI process. The IHP continues to evaluate the collection process of EHDI data, number of ERAVE users and the quality of data in the system. Stakeholders are continuously included in IHP’s activities through collaboration, attendance at stakeholder meetings and trainings and as recipients of IHP reports disseminated to promote compliance with EHDI 1-3-6 guidelines and informed decision making. During this project, the IHP shall provide unduplicated efforts to utilize timely and complete patient-level data for tracking and informed decision making, increase the number of infants receiving timely diagnosis by three months of age and increase the number of deaf or hard of hearing infants enrollment in EI services by six months of age.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).