(a) The department shall establish a system of early hearing detection and intervention centers that shall provide technical assistance and consultation to hospitals in the startup and ongoing implementation of a facility hearing screening program and followup system.
(b) The early hearing detection and intervention centers shall be chosen by the department according to standards and criteria developed by the California Children’s Services (CCS) program. Each center shall be responsible for a separate geographic catchment area as determined by the program.
(c) Each center shall be required to develop a system that shall provide outreach and education to hospitals in its catchment area, approve hospitals on behalf of the department for participation as newborn hearing screening providers, maintain a database of all newborns and infants screened in the catchment area, ensure appropriate followup for newborns and infants with an abnormal hearing screening, including diagnostic evaluation and referral to intervention services programs if the newborn or infant is found to have a hearing loss, and provide coordination with the CCS and local early intervention programs as defined in Title 14 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 335, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2007. Operative January 1, 2008, by Sec. 5 of Ch. 335.)