Georgia Chapter
American Academy of Pediatrics

Winner of Outstanding Chapter Award 1965, 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2009  

Pediatrician’s Guide

Children 1^st

Newborn Screening Programs

Babies Can't Wait

Child Health Data

Other Public Health Programs and Services

Please contact the Chapter's Children 1st Liaison, Fozia Khan Eskew, at 404-881-5074 or via email at feskew@gaaap.org if you have any questions regarding the information on this webpage.

Pediatrician's Guide to Public Health Programs for Children

This brief guide will help you navigate through a variety of programs offered through the Georgia Division of Public Health that may benefit your patients.  If you would like copies of the guide, please contact Kasha Sumpter, at the Chapter office at 404-881-5067 or email her at ksumpter@gaaap.org.   Click Here for a copy of the Guide.

Bright Futures

This American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released the third edition of Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents along with its new Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (periodicity schedule).  Click here to view the new periodicity chart. Click here for a summary of changes to the periodicity schedule.

Bright Futures Tool & Resource Kit CD-ROM will include: Bright Futures Visit Forms, Practice Management Tools and Resources, Developmental/ Behavioral/Psychosocial Screening Resources, and Community Resources.  This looks to be an ideal companion to the 2008 Bright Futures/AAP Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care which has been adopted by the Georgia Medicaid Care Management Organizations.  Visit www.brightfutures.aap.org for details and practice management tools.

Children 1^st

Children 1^st  is the single point of entry into Georgia’s Public Health system for children birth to five.  It’s goal is to promote early identification of all children with conditions that place them at risk for poor health and/or developmental outcomes and assist families in linking their children to a medical home.  Click here for a listing of Children 1st Coordinators.  Click here to obtain a copy of the Children 1st Screening and Referral form (Instructions to complete the form).

Newborn Screening Programs

Georgia now screens all live born infants for the 28 disorders.  Click here to view the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a technical report entitled Newborn Screening Fact Sheets.

Online: Newborn screening results can be obtained on line by completing the registration process available at https://sendss.state.ga.us.  This system is a part of the Georgia’s State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SENDSS).

By Phone: The Voice Response System (VRS) for the Newborn Screening Program enables enrolled submitters to access screening test results via a touch tone telephone 24 hours a day/7 days a week. To ensure confidentiality and security, your State Medical License number or a submitter code number is required to access the system. In addition, as a second security check, the system will prompt you to enter a "personal identification number" (PIN) that will be chosen by you when you enroll to participate. Click here for the enrollment form. http://health.state.ga.us/programs/lab/vrsform.asp

Outside Georgia: NBS results on infants born in other states can be obtained from the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Center (NNSGRC) website. The address is http://genes-r-us.uthscsa.edu/. On this page is a link to the contacts for each state: http://genes-r-us.uthscsa.edu/state_contacts.pdf

Click here for additional information metabolic screening program via the Georgia Public Health website.

Newborn Screening ACT Sheets for Pediatricians
www.acmg.net/resources/policies/ACT/condition-analyte-links.htm 

ACTion (ACT) sheet that 1) describes the short term actions a health professional should follow in communicating with the family and determining the appropriate steps in the follow-up of the infant that has screened positive, and 2) an algorithm that presents an overview of the basic steps involved in determining the final diagnosis in the infant.

Follow-up

Metabolic & Endocrine: Emory University School of Medicine conducts follow-up on abnormal results for the metabolic and endocrine disorders.  The newborn follow-up program can be reached by calling 404-778-8560.  For the metabolic nutritionists, call 404-686-5500; PIC ID: 14097.  The Geneticist-on-Call (pager for nights and weekends) can be reach at 404-701-0532.

Hemoglobin: Follow-up of abnormal hemoglobin results that suggest carrier or "trait" status is conducted by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia, Inc. Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia (404) 755-1641 or 1-800-326-5287.

The follow-up of abnormal results that suggest actual hemoglobin disease are divided between the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Heath System in Atlanta.  Contact information for these programs is listed below:

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening & Intervention (UNHSI)

Click here to view the medical home guidelines for management of hearing loss in newborns. Georgia's UNHSI works to ensure that all newborns are screened for hearing impairment at birth prior to hospital discharge.  For the local newborn hearing screening contact for your area please click here.

Suspected and confirmed cases of hearing impairment in children younger than age five is a notifiable disease.  Suspected cases of hearing loss must be reported to Children 1^st via the Children 1^st Screening and Referral form within 7 days.  The 

Surveillance of Hearing Impairment in Infants and Young Children/Confirmation of Diagnosis of Infant/Child Hearing Impairment Worksheet for Audiologists/Physicians is used to report confirmed hearing loss in children under the age of five.

Continued monitoring of the infants hearing maybe warranted even if the newborn passes the hearing screening.  Click here for information on indicators for children who are at risk for late onset or progressive hearing loss from the Joint Commission on Infant Hearing.

Georgia Resource Guide for Families of Children with Hearing Loss is a free booklet written for parents and families of children with hearing loss. The primary purpose of the guide is to provide all parents with basic and unbiased information regarding: 1) hearing loss, its effects and implications, 2) communication options, 3) state agency programs and services, and, 5) local, state, and national resources. It can also be used as a practical reference tool for audiologists, physicians and early intervention agencies in providing patient education. Click here to view the PDF on line version of the guide.

Babies Can't Wait (BCW)

BCW is Georgia's statewide interagency service delivery system for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families. BCW is established by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/geninfo.html which guarantees all eligible children, regardless of their disability, access to services that will enhance their development.

Babies Can't Wait is administered through 18 District offices throughout the state. Through the 18 offices, children and families in every county in Georgia can access early intervention services. Anyone can refer a child to Babies Can't Wait; use the Children 1st Screening and Referral form to refer families to the Children 1st Coordinator for the county in which the child resides.

Georgia's Online Analytical Statistical Information System ( OASIS )

OASIS is a standardized health data repository and provides aggregate birth and death data by counties and by years.

Click here to visit the Oasis portal.  

Georgia Birth Defects Reporting and Information System

The Georgia Birth Defects Reporting and Information System (GBDRIS) is a surveillance system designed to provide information on incidence, prevalence, trend and epidemiology of birth defects.  Cases of birth defects are reportable to the Division of Public Health through the GBDRIS within 7 days of the confirmatory diagnosis.  Reports can be reproduced or downloaded from the web at http://health.state.ga.us/epi/mch/birthdefects/gbdris/index.asp.

Other Public Health Programs and Services

Georgia Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (GCLPPP)

For information on Lead Screening, Lab Submission, and Reporting Guidelines click here.

School Health

The Building Bridges Calendar and Building Bridges Newsletter are two valuable resources for school health nurses and other professionals. Both the calendar and newsletter are designed to provide health information and resources on school health topics requested by school nurses in Georgia. Click here to view the interactive online version of the calendar.  The calendar is the result of collaboration between Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Office of Infant and Child Health, School Health Program.

SIDS Alliance

The SIDS Alliance of Georgia and the Division of Public Health are dedicated to supporting families coping with SIDS.  For more information visit http://sidsga.org.  or call The SIDS Alliance 24 Hour Hotline: 1 (800) 221-7437.  Listed below are links to information that can assist pediatricians in providing support to families who have experienced a loss as a result of SIDS and professional publications related to SIDS.

Georgia Tobacco Quit Line Now Available Teens

The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line is a free resource that is now able to help tobacco users ages 13 and older. Quit Line can be reached by calling 1-877-270-STOP. Spanish speakers are encouraged to dial: 1-877-2NO-FUME; TTY: 1-877-777-6534 for the hearing impaired. The Quit Line provides counseling, a resource library, and support and referral services over the phone. Georgia Tobacco Quit Line educational materials are available to post in your office or to give to your patients. Please visit www.livehealthygeorgia.com to review the materials. For additional information and to order materials for your practice, call 404-367-2762.