New York Fact Sheet
NBS is a simple blood test performed 24 to 48 hours after birth to screen for certain rare, genetic, hormone-related, and metabolic conditions that can cause serious injury or death but have an approved therapeutic option or viable intervention. These conditions are not always visible or easily diagnosed.
The process for adding new conditions to federal and state screening panels can be lengthy. Through the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP), the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS) puts forward a national recommendation for conditions that all newborns should be screened for at birth. However, each state has the authority to determine what conditions to include in their local NBS program.
On average, it takes 6 years for a condition to move through the federal nomination process and, if approved, be included on the RUSP. New York is a leader in NBS and currently the state screens for all conditions that are included on the RUSP.
However, during the years between RUSP nomination and state adoption, the approximately 222,000 babies born in New York miss the opportunity for screening, limiting their chances to receive early diagnosis with a condition, and in some cases, access to potentially life-saving therapies.
