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minnesota newborn screening program

Homebirths - Communicate to Parents

On this page:
Roles and Responsibilities of Providers
Prenatal care and education
Educational Materials
Screening information for families who do not speak English

Roles and Responsibilities of Providers

Responsibility to Inform

Instructions for birth facilities regarding parental newborn screening options. (PDF 17KB/2 pages)

Minnesota Statutes §144.125 Subd. 3 and §144.966 Subd. 3 require attendants at birth as well as hospitals to educate parents about the benefits and risks of newborn screening, as well as the specific benefits and risks associated with choosing to opt-out of any part of newborn screening.

To offer the best care to the infants you deliver and to inform parents of their rights under the law, the Minnesota Department of Health Newborn Screening Program recommends taking the following steps:

Review the One Simple Test Can Make a Difference for Your Child brochure with parents. It is available free from the Newborn Screening Program and can be ordered by calling (800) 664-7772. You will automatically receive one for every specimen card ordered.

Tell parents that their infant’s newborn screening specimen will be sent to the Minnesota Department of Health. Unless directed otherwise by the parents, the newborn screening program will destroy the remaining blood sample after 71 days and the results will be destroyed after 24 months.

Offer parents information about the value of hearing screening and orally and in writing let them know where they can arrange to have their infant’s hearing screened.

Inform parents that they can decline to have their infant screened. Inform them of associated risks:
Babies can die or become developmentally delayed as a result of not being screened.

Children with the diseases screened for or with hearing loss often appear healthy at birth
By the time symptoms do appear, damage can be irreversible.
An affected child who is not screened may not receive treatment needed to prevent developmental delay, illness, or death.

Tell parents that if they decline to have their infant screened, the forms they sign authorizing their choice will be sent to the Minnesota Department of Health

Parental Opt-Out Options & Forms

Prenatal care and education

Prenatal visits are the best time for the midwife to inform parents about this safe and easy way to ensure a healthy start for their babies. Since newborn screening changes over time, it is important for the practitioner to stay up-to-date with the disorders on the screening panel and issues involving screening. If questions cannot be answered by reading this Web site, practitioners should always feel free to contact the Newborn Screening Program by phone at 1-800-664-7772 or by email at health.newbornscreening@state.mn.us

The prenatal period is when the practitioner and the family should decide together where the screen will be collected, and if the screen is to be collected at home, who will take responsibility to obtain the newborn screening card.

It is especially important for midwives working with high-risk groups to discuss newborn screening. Babies born into communities where many people have common ancestors (such as the Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites) are at increased risk for many of the disorders on the newborn screening panel. Practitioners working with these groups are encouraged to speak with the genetic counselors in the Newborn Screening Program to obtain additional information.

Educational Materials

Prenatal Information Sheets

Newborn Screening Information Sheet English (PDF: 131KB/1 pages)
Newborn Screening Information Sheet Spanish (PDF: 131KB/1 pages)
Homebirth Hearing Screening Handout (PDF: 85KB/2 pages)

Information sheets are available for prenatal education of expectant parents about newborn screening. One side of the information sheet is in English and the other side is in Spanish. These sheets are designed to be the simplest introduction to newborn screening.

Brochures for Parents

One Simple Test brochure

The Newborn Screening Program has designed a parent brochure that is available free of charge to birth attendants, families, expectant parents, hospitals, medical care providers, childbirth educators, and anyone who would like more information about newborn screening. A brochure is automatically sent out with every specimen card, but please call the Newborn Screening Program at (800) 664-7772 to get additional copies. All parents should receive a brochure before newborn screening is done.

The parent brochure is designed to answer parents’ questions about newborn screening. It includes a list of all the disorders on the newborn screening panel. Parents seeking more information can be directed to the Newborn Screening Program Web site. They may be especially interested in the Screening Spotlight where families share stories of their experiences with newborn screening.

There is a special brochure available from the Newborn Screening Program for Amish families. It is written in English with culturally appropriate messages for this high-risk population. The brochure contains no photographs of people. Please let us know if you work with Amish families and we will provide you with this special material.

Parent brochure page

Can Your Baby Hear You Say I Love You? brochure

This brochure is designed to be given to parents whose newborn passed the newborn hearing screen. The brochure contains information on hearing screening and includes a brief hearing checklist for parents to monitor their baby's communication development. This brochure is available in several languages.

English version (PDF: 65KB/2 pages)
Hmong version (PDF: 30KB/2 pages)
Somali version (PDF: 31KB/2 pages)
Spanish version (PDF: 56KB/2 pages)

Show Your Baby Your Love.

This brochure can be given to parents whose newborn did not pass the newborn hearing screen. The brochure contains information on the importance of follow-up testing for babies who did not pass the hearing screen and includes a section where rescreening appointment information can be written.

Your Baby Passed Hearing Screening English version (PDF: 65KB/2 pages)
Your Baby Passed Hearing Screening Hmong version (PDF: 39KB/2 pages)
Your Baby Passed Hearing Screening Somali version (PDF: 41KB/2 pages)
Your Baby Passed Hearing Screening Spanish version (PDF: 45KB/2 pages)