For more than three decades, the urgent need for early screening for hearing impairment has been the rallying point for pediatric audiologists who recognize that good hearing is critical to infants’ well-being and development. Although the technology is readily available for effective, efficient screening, most newborns in the United States are not screened for hearing prior to hospital discharge.

The goal of early identification of hearing impairment will remain elusive until hearing screening becomes a routine nursery service throughout the country.

According to the American Hospital Association, there are 6,138 acute care hospitals in the United States. Of these facilities, 1,734 are operated by local, state, or federal governments; the remaining 3,737 hospitals are nongovernmental, nonprofit institutions or investor-owned, for-profit hospitals. Thus, this abundance of community hospitals offers a unique opportunity to develop and implement programs to achieve early identification. This site visit offers a glimpse of newborn screening at Winter Park Memorial Hospital, which is located in Central Florida near Disney World.