Ontario to expand hearing tests of newborns

Of particular concern are those born outside hospitals

The Ontario government will spend $3.2 million to help reduce waittimes for hearing tests for newborns, which are part of the routine screening usually conducted within days of birth.

Michael Coteau, the province’s minister of children and youth services, made the announcement Tuesday in Ottawa at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

“We know that investing early in a child’s life gives them a better chance of success,” Coteau said in a written statement. “With our government’s expansion of the Infant Hearing Program, along with the dedication and commitment of community partners, agencies and staff, babies who have permanent hearing loss will have access to supports and services that help them to reach their full potential.”

Hearing screening is a painless test that can identify children who have hearing loss or who are at risk for it. It is typically conducted before babies are discharged from the hospital.

The province has screened for it for 15 years through its Infant Hearing Program. Last year, about 130,000 newborns were tested.

Although there should be no delay when screening is provided in hospital, it isn’t always done before babies are discharged, and there can be a wait for those born at home.

The Infant Hearing Program also includes further audiology tests, as well as assessments for hearing aids or sign language programs, where wait lists vary depending on where a family lives.

PC MPP Gila Martow, her party’s critic for children, youth and families, said in her decades of experience as an optometrist working with hospitals, “there’s no shortage of waitlists” and many who believe there shouldn’t be any delay for such tests.

She called Coteau’s announcement yet another funding re-announcement “and I think more electioneering.”

In Ontario, newborns are now screened for 30 diseases, many considered life-threatening if left undiagnosed.

Using a blood sample, babies are tested for conditions such as Galactosemia, which can lead to liver damage, sepsis and death, as well as cystic fibrosis, which affects lungs and pancreas. It is now also the first province in the country to screen for congeni tal heart issues between 24 and 48 hours after birth.

Last year, following a previous Star investigation, Newborn Screening Ontario began operating seven days a week to reduce the wait for results.