Population-Based Rapid Surveillance of Birth Defects and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States and contribute substantially to health care costs and life-long disabilities. They affect 1 in every 33 babies in the United States, account for more than 20% of all infant deaths, and contribute to $2.6 billion annually in hospital costs alone. NOFO #CDC-RFA-DD20-2001 solicits non-research, cooperative agreement applications to strengthen the capacity of existing birth defects surveillance programs to respond to emerging threats to mothers and babies as a key component of preparedness. Objectives to achieve this goal include: 1) expanding birth defects surveillance to include neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), 2) improving timeliness of surveillance data, 3) leveraging electronic health records and interoperability capabilities to enhance surveillance of birth defects and NAS, and 4) using the surveillance data to improve health outcomes of affected populations. In FY20, CDC plans to fund 6-10 recipients for Component A, 2-4 recipients for Component B, and 1-3 recipients for Component C. Component A activities: strengthen surveillance capacity for the listed birth defects (and NAS - optional), improve timeliness of surveillance data, report de-identified individual level data to CDC, assess readiness to automatically exchange data with electronic health records, and conduct primary and secondary prevention strategies. Component B activities are limited to the 6 current states (AR, CA, IA, MA, NC, NY) that receive funds under NOFO #DD18-001: strengthen NAS surveillance capacity, improve timeliness of surveillance data, report de-identified individual level data to CDC, and assess readiness to automatically exchange data with electronic health records. Component C activities: optional activity for any Component A or Component B applicant to develop capacity for automated data exchange (i.e. interoperability) between the birth defects surveillance system and electronic health records (EHRs). Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the following performance goal for the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD): 1) Enhance the quality and utility of birth defects surveillance systems.