Wisconsin’s Newborn Screening Program is important to the work we do here at Children’s Wisconsin and helps in screening newborns for many conditions to promote early diagnosis and connection to care they need. This month, our providers are encouraging state lawmakers to increase funding for the Newborn Screening Program, both for day-to-day laboratory operations and for the long-term follow-up programs monitoring the care and treatment of Wisconsin children with newborn screening disorders.

If you are interested in joining providers in their advocacy, here are some steps you can take in April:

• You can submit a comment to members of the Joint Finance Committee who helps make funding decisions. You may wish to share the importance of the Newborn Screening Program for your family and ask them to increase funding for the program to support day-to-day laboratory operations and for the long-term follow-up programs monitoring the care and treatment of Wisconsin children with newborn screening disorders.
• You can find your lawmakers and call or email them.  You may wish to share your name, where you live and why the Newborn Screening Program is important to your family. You may encourage your lawmakers to support increased funding for the Newborn Screening Program in the state budget and thank them for the opportunity to provide your feedback. 
• Join Children's Advocacy Network to stay up-to-date on kids' health and well-being policy issues that Children's Wisconsin is working on.