More than 60 years ago, Oregon became a pioneer in children’s health by requiring newborn screening.

These simple tests, which are now mandated nationwide, can detect dozens of health issues right away—giving babies the best possible chance for a healthy life.

Blood test for newborns
Babies born in Oregon undergo three important tests right after birth: a hearing test, a heart screening and a blood test.

“The newborn screening tests are run on your baby in the hospital right around 24 hours after birth and again when your child is two weeks old,” says Dr. Pilar Bradshaw of Eugene Pediatric Associates.

With the blood test, Oregon currently screens for 45 conditions which can be missed or detected too late by your medical provider due to their rare nature. “When your baby is about 24 hours old at the hospital, they’re going to do a tiny little prick of their heel, squeeze their little foot and put blood drops on a card,” Dr. Bradshaw says.

The card, which is a specialized filter paper, is sent to the public health laboratory in Hillsboro where it’s tested.

“Your doctor’s office will get those results right away if they are abnormal,” Dr. Bradshaw says. “If they’re normal at one day old, we still recommend the two-week-old metabolic screen test be done because there are some diseases that we can only pick up after your baby has been feeding for a while.”

What tests detect
Newborn screening is essential because it can detect rare genetic, hormone-related and metabolic conditions that can cause serious health problems. Screening babies in the first 24-48 hours of life allows for quick diagnosis, which means any additional testing or needed treatment can start as soon as possible.

“A good example is congenital absence of thyroid,” Dr. Bradshaw says. “If undetected, it would cause irreparable harm to kids. But now, the miracle is that we can find out by the time the baby is 24 hours old and we can immediately treat it and that child will be healthy their whole life.”

The tests primarily are checking hormone levels or metabolic issues. Examples of a few conditions the tests can detect include:

  • Biotinidase Deficiency: inability to break down the vitamin biotin; can cause developmental delays, seizures.
  • Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: can result in hormonal imbalances.
  • Cystic Fibrosis: a serious lung disease.
  • Galactosemia: inability to digest milk sugars; may damage organs.
  • Phenylketonuria (PKU): inability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine; can lead to brain damage.
  • Sickle Cell: results in low blood oxygen, possible organ damage.

“The risk of having something abnormal on your newborn screening is very low but the importance of it is so great,” Dr. Bradshaw says. “That’s why we really encourage every parent to get these screenings done.”

Oregon’s role in newborn screening
Oregon was one of the first states to begin newborn testing, in part after a chance meeting between a New York bacteriologist and an Oregon pediatrician on a plane in 1963.

Dr. Robert Guthrie, the New York researcher who is considered the father of newborn screening, told Dr. Carl Ashley, Oregon’s chief of Maternal and Child Health, how he had developed a screening test for PKU. When untreated, PKU can cause developmental disorders. Ashley was so intrigued that he invited Guthrie to visit Oregon and explain the test to public health officials.

Not long after, Oregon became the second state (after Massachusetts) to mandate newborn screening for PKU. Today, Oregon’s Northwest Regional Newborn Screening Program screens more than 180,000 babies a year for dozens of possible conditions.

Hearing and heart screenings
In addition to the blood tests, Oregon also screens for hearing and heart issues in newborns. Children’s hearing is first tested when they are a month old.

“We put little headphones on your baby and they’re able to detect a moderate to severe hearing loss in one or both ears,” Dr. Bradshaw says. “That’s so important because we used to not be able to know a kid wasn’t hearing until they didn’t speak. So having that ability to detect hearing loss and be able to treat it is super important.”

Soon after birth, newborns can also be checked for proper oxygen levels using a pulse oximeter to ensure their hearts are working correctly.

“The other type of screening that’s done is a congenital heart disease screening. Non-invasive monitors are put on your child’s limbs and check their oxygen level as well,” Dr. Bradshaw says. “That helps your pediatrician know if there are heart problems that we couldn’t detect by just listening.”

Results of newborn screening for hearing loss and heart disease are available as soon as the test is done. Blood test results usually are ready by the time a baby is 5–7 days old.

For more information on newborn screenings: