States Connecticut

Conditions Screened

Connecticut currently screens for 63 conditions

The Connecticut Program

Each state runs its program differently, for more detailed information please visit their website here.

Download Brochure

Here is a brochure for the state of Connecticut.
Brochure - English »
Brochure - Spanish »

What Conditions are Screened For in Connecticut?

Hemoglobin Disorders

Lysosomal Storage Disorders

Contacts

NBS Program

Adrienne Manning
Division Director, Newborn Screening
Public Health Laboratory
395 West Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3503
Phone: (860) 920-6624
[email protected]

NBS Follow-up Unit

Marie Burlette RN, BSN, MPH
Supervising Nurse Consultant NBS Follow-Up
Connecticut Department of Health
395 West Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3503
Phone: 860-920-6622
[email protected]

Dr. Katherine A. Kelley
Public Health Laboratory
Newborn Screening Program
395 West Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3503
Phone: (860) 920-6628
Fax: (860) 730-8385
[email protected] 
https://portal.ct.gov/newbornscreening

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Christine (Chris) Fallon
Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Program
Community, Family Health, and Prevention Section
Connecticut Department of Public Health
410 Capital Ave., MS #11 MAT
Hartford, CT 06134
Phone: (860) 509-7668
Fax: (860) 629-6965
[email protected]
https://portal.ct.gov/ehdi

CCHD Contact

Nicky Prince
Epidemiologist 
Community, Family, and Health Prevention Section
Connecticut Department of Public Health
410 Capitol Avenue, MS#11 MAT
Hartford, CT 06134
Phone: (860) 509-7278
Fax: (860) 629-6965
[email protected]

State of Connecticut
Department of Public Health
Community, Family Health, and Prevention Section
410 Capital Avenue
MS #11 MAT
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
Phone: (860) 509-8251
Fax: (860) 509-7720


Cystic Fibrosis Screening

Yale New Haven Hospital
Cystic Fibrosis Laboratory
Phone: 203-688-2444

UCONN Health Center
Cystic Fibrosis Laboratory
Phone: 860-679-4439

Search Educational Resources

Looking for resources? Check out our Newborn Screening Education and Training Resource Center.

VIEW RESOURCES

About Newborn Screening in Connecticut

Program Overview:

State law requires that all newborns are screened for certain genetic and metabolic disorders.  The Connecticut Newborn Screening (CT NBS) Program works to make sure that every newborn, who is born or lives in Connecticut receives this screening and further evaluation and treatment when needed.  These efforts help prevent disability and premature death.

The CT NBS follow-up/tracking staff work with CT birth hospitals, birthing centers, and midwives to monitor CT births and make sure that the State Public Health Laboratory receives a NBS blood-spot specimen from every newborn. All NBS specimens are tested for over 60 conditions.  The Connecticut newborn screening panel is based on the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). Connecticut screens for select metabolic disorders including amino acid, fatty acid oxidation, organic acid disorders, biotinidase deficiency, and galactosemia, in addition to certain endocrine, immune, hemoglobin, peroxisomal, neurological, and lysosomal storage disorders.

CT NBS Program staff follow up on each out-of-range result and either ask the child’s health care provider (HCP) to collect another blood-spot specimen for repeat screening or reports the result to the Connecticut Newborn Diagnosis and Treatment Network (the Network).  The CT NBS Program continues short-term follow-up until the child receives a diagnosis or a condition is ruled out.  Network staff work with the newborn’s HCP to provide consultation, care coordination, diagnostic testing, education, genetic and dietary counseling, and treatment when needed. The Network works with specialists in genetics, endocrinology, hematology, neurology, and immunology, statewide, to coordinate treatment and long-term follow-up of the infant.

Through the NBS confirmed case registry, the Network measures and tracks disorder-specific outcomes for all children who confirm positive for a disorder identified through NBS from birth to age 21.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) screening is performed separately by the laboratories at the UCONN Health Center and Yale School of Medicine, depending on the baby's place of birth. For CF results, contact the UCONN CF laboratory at 860-679-4439 or the Yale CF laboratory at 203-688-2444. 

How is Newborn Screening Paid for in ­­Connecticut?

Hospital birthing centers are charged for the initial newborn screening.  There is no charge for repeat screening or for specimens collected outside of a hospital birthing center. The hospital bundles the newborn screening fee into labor/delivery/nursery charges that are billed to the insurance carrier. Babies born at home are screened at no cost to the family or the midwife. There is never a direct cost to families whose newborns are screened through the Connecticut Newborn Screening Program.

Policies and Resources

Opt-Out:

If newborn screening is in conflict with the parents’/guardians’ religious beliefs, they may choose to refuse screening. Birth hospital staff or a midwife will provide information about the benefits and risks of screening and not screening to the parents/guardians before asking the parent/guardian to sign a waiver form. The signed form is kept with the medical record and a copy is sent to the CT NBS Program.

Support for families:

One of the concerns a family may have when they find out their child has a condition detected through newborn screening, is how to pay for the treatment that their child needs.  Fortunately, Connecticut has laws and programs which make treatment of these conditions more affordable for families.

Medical Formula and Food

Insurance companies are required to cover prescribed metabolic formulas/foods used to treat some conditions detected through newborn screening.  While there may be a co-payment, deductible or other cost-sharing, these life-saving formulas will be treated the same way as other outpatient prescription drugs in your plan.

The State of Connecticut also provides money to treatment centers specializing in treating children with metabolic disorders, to provide metabolic formulas/foods at a free or reduced cost to families without medical insurance or who experiencing financial hardship.

Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) 

CYSHCN is a service available for families of children who have or are at risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and require special services beyond what is required for most children. Children who have a condition identified through newborn screening may be eligible to receive care coordination and other services through CYSHCN.

Directions is a guide to help you plan and coordinate care for your child with special health care needs. In Directions, you will find ways to organize your child’s health information, information about caring for your child’s special needs, resources, and tips from other parents of children with special health care.

Connecticut Birth to Three Program

The Connecticut Birth to Three Program may also provide developmental and health-related services to children identified with a condition through the newborn screening. 

Storage and Use of Dried Blood Spots:

When bloodspot screening is complete, a very small amount of blood is sometimes left over. The leftover blood will be stored at the CT Public Health Laboratory to allow for any necessary follow-up testing, to help make sure screening is accurate, and to develop new newborn screening tests for Connecticut. Leftover bloodspots are not used for research unrelated to newborn screening.  If you have any questions about this, please contact the CT NBS Program at 860-920-6628. The residual dried blood spot is kept by the CT NBS Program for a minimum of 2 years before being destroyed. Records of screening tests are kept at the State Laboratory for a minimum of 5 years before being destroyed.

To see a copy of the blood spot card used in Connecticut click here.

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