What Is Newborn Screening
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) runs the Newborn Screening (NBS) Program. This public health program checks newborn babies for serious medical conditions that do not show symptoms at birth but can cause harm or death if not treated early.
Texas law requires all babies to get screened. The screening includes:
- Blood Spot Test: Blood collected between 24-48 hours after birth and again at 7–14 days.
- Hearing Test: A check to find early signs of hearing loss.
- Heart Screening: A simple test using a small sensor to detect critical heart defects.
More specifically, the program screens blood for 55 serious health problems, including:
- Metabolic Disorders (e.g., phenylketonuria or PKU)
- Hormone Disorders (e.g., congenital hypothyroidism)
- Blood Disorders (e.g., sickle cell disease)
- Genetic Disorders (e.g., cystic fibrosis)
- Rare Conditions (e.g., spinal muscular atrophy)
Doctors and public health leaders are always reviewing new conditions to add. In fact, Texas most recently added X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy. Looking ahead, future updates will include Pompe disease, Krabbe, and MPS I and II.
Why Newborn Screening Matters
By finding these conditions early, the program gives babies the best chance for a healthy life.
- In 2023, Texas screened over 392,000 babies.
- The DSHS public health laboratory tested nearly 800,000 specimens.
- About 1 in 500 babies had a condition that required medical treatment.
Put simply, newborn screening saves lives. It finds health problems before symptoms appear. Babies who get early treatment often avoid serious problems like:
- Brain damage
- Developmental delays
- Sudden health crises
- Even death
For example, a baby born with PKU can avoid brain damage by following a special diet, if the condition is found early.
Financial Benefits to Texas
Newborn screening not only saves lives; it also saves money.
- For every $1 spent on screening, the state can save up to $10 in healthcare costs and other long-term costs.
- Early treatment reduces the need for long-term care, surgeries, or special education.
- Healthy kids are more likely to grow up, learn, and join the workforce.
This program supports every baby born in Texas. Consequently, investing in newborn screening helps families and makes smart use of taxpayer dollars.
Behind the Scenes: The DSHS Public Health Laboratory
The DSHS Public Health Laboratory in Austin processes nearly 800,000 samples each year. Scientists and lab staff work around the clock to:
- Run accurate tests quickly.
- Share results with doctors and parents.
This laboratory plays a key role in keeping babies safe and healthy across Texas.
Behind the Scenes: Clinical Care Coordination
If a test result is not normal, a team from DSHS contacts the baby’s doctor right away. The team helps:
- Set up follow-up testing.
- Connect families to medical specialists.
- Guide parents through the next steps and relevant resources.
This support helps families act fast and make sure their baby gets the care they need. Many babies grow up healthy thanks to quick follow-up.
Opportunity for the Addition of Newborn Screens
Texas follows a science-based process to decide which conditions to include in newborn screening. Accordingly, the state aligns its newborn screening tests with national recommendations in the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP), created by a national advisory committee and adopted by the federal government. The RUSP lists core and secondary conditions that experts say are essential for newborn screening programs.
Texas law requires the state to include conditions from the RUSP, as long as funding is available. As a result, using the RUSP as a guide helps ensure that new tests are added in a consistent and evidence-based way.
In addition, DSHS, with guidance from the Newborn Screening Advisory Committee, may recommend adding a newborn screening test for other conditions. Any recommendation would require strong scientific evidence, the availability of effective treatment, dedicated funding, and the condition’s impact on public health.
State and Federal Public Policy Developments
Senate Bill 1 (2025) – DSHS Laboratory Expansion
SB 1 authorizes DSHS to build a new laboratory facility on its Austin campus. This expansion aims to meet the growing demand for testing, which currently lab space limits. The new facility will primarily support newborn screening.
Senate Bill 1044 (2025) – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Screening
SB 1044 requires screening for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy as part of Texas’s Newborn Screening Program. The legislation must only be implemented if the Legislature provides an appropriation. However, DSHS may implement the test if resources are available after a new laboratory building is completed.
Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children Disbanded (2025)
In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) disbanded the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, effectively halting its role in developing new screening recommendations. Previously, the Advisory Committee had advised HHS on which conditions to include in newborn screening. Most important, it reviewed scientific evidence and evaluated the benefits of early detection and treatment for serious conditions in infants and children. The reason for its disbandment remains unclear.
Conclusion
Every child in Texas deserves a healthy beginning. The Newborn Screening Program helps make that possible by identifying serious health conditions before symptoms appear. Thus, early detection gives babies the care they need and can change the course of their lives.
Newborn screening stands at a crossroads. Texas is expanding its laboratory capacity and showing leadership in public health innovation. But the recent disbanding of the federal Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children raises uncertainty about the future of national screening standards. Texas depends on those standards to guide evidence-based decisions and ensure quality and consistency across conditions. Also, adding new infant screenings directly through legislation, rather than through the usual scientific review process, may disrupt the timeline, funding, and staffing needed to ensure effective implementation. Therefore, decision-makers must carefully weigh how to maintain scientific integrity, program stability, and the predictability needed to plan, fund, and deliver high-quality screening as Texas navigates this changing landscape.
The GovExperts team stands ready to visit further with you and support state efforts to maintain and advance state newborn screening.