NICHQ News

The NewSTEPs 360 program has selected 20 states that will endeavor to improve newborn screening and save the lives of babies who are born with rare but serious conditions. These states are the initial cohort supported through a $5.4 million dollar funding initiative from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Judith Gooding has joined NICHQ as the Chief Operating Officer and Katherine Flaherty, ScD, has been named Vice President of Development. The two join NICHQ’s executive team and will provide guidance and oversight to NICHQ’s business development, communications, finance, operations and programs departments.

The infant mortality rate in the U.S. dropped 2.3 percent to a historic low in 2014, according to new federal data. The reduction means more children will get off to a strong, healthy start in life, leading to better long-term health outcomes. NICHQ President and CEO Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, says this is wonderful news, and it reinforces that the collaborative work happening by organizations and agencies--like NICHQ--to implement preventative strategies to reduce infant mortality. 

NICHQ President and CEO Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, is the recipient of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association 2015 IMPACT Award. The annual award is given to a former White House Fellow who becomes an agent of change in his industry, demonstrates a commitment to public service and works to strengthen the fellows program.

After an extensive national search, NICHQ is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, as its new President and CEO. Berns will assume the position October 5.

NICHQ is partnering with the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) on a new project to increase the detection and diagnosis of visual impairment in children ages 0-5.

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective preventive health measures for infants and mothers. Despite the many benefits of breastfeeding, only 21.3 percent of Texas mothers exclusively breastfeed for six months—the AAP recommendation. To help reverse this trend, 33 hospitals in southern, central and western Texas have joined a five-year quality improvement project aimed at developing facility environments that support a mother’s choice to breastfeed.

NICHQ has been selected to join an unprecedented national collaboration called NewSTEPs 360, which aims to improve newborn screening programs across the nation.

NICHQ and the Florida Department of Health are teaming up to reduce the burden of asthma in the Sunshine State. In two concurrent, synergistic projects, NICHQ is helping healthcare and public health agencies progressively expand sustainable and comprehensive asthma control service networks across Florida.

NICHQ today announces “Sickle Cell Pain in the Emergency Department: A Guide to Improving Care,” a step-by-step manual for anyone on the front lines of acute care, from emergency room (ER) doctors and nurses, to hematology specialists. The guide, launched on World Sickle Cell Day, is the result of a five-year collaboration between 15 multidisciplinary healthcare provider teams nationwide.

NICHQ is one of 60 organizations The Huffington Post has chosen to promote in its “The Next 10” awareness building and fundraising campaign that runs throughout May. 

The Einhorn Family Charitable Trust has commissioned NICHQ to develop recommendations for interventions to positively shape the healthy social and emotional development of children ages 0-5.