Recently, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO) introduced an early hearing detection program to screen newborn babies for hearing issues.
The service was introduced at the Hôpital du Suroît’s Centre mère-enfant birthing centre in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on March 18, and the hospital had already screened 80 babies as of April 19.
Only hours old, newborn Jackie James Fenlon was the first baby to benefit from the new early hearing detection program at the Hôpital du Suroît’s Centre mère-enfant birthing centre in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.
“Nursing assistants are specially trained to detect early deafness from the very first days of life. In this way, early interventions can be undertaken to reduce the impact of deafness on the child’s development,” shares Catherine Brousseau, a communications representative for the CISSSMO.
Babies born at the Hôpital du Suroît can now be screened free of charge before being discharged. However, in the event a new family is not seen before being discharged, they are welcome to make an appointment for their infant as an outpatient and return for the screening.
The CISSSMO says that four in 1000 babies are born with some degree of hearing loss. These tests are a quick way to see if a baby may be affected. Participation in the program is offered to all parents for their infants; however, it is voluntary, and a consent form must be signed in order to participate.
The service will also be available starting this spring at the Hôpital Anna-Laberge birth pavilion in Chateauguay. The process is a simple one, and Brousseau assures parents that “The screening test is rapid, painless, and harmless for the baby. The tests can be carried out on a newborn as early as 24 hours old to the age of one month old.”