Committee Hears Broad Support for Mandatory PANS/PANDAS Screening Bill

Lawmakers heard more than two hours of testimony on House Bill 12‑49 and Senate Bill 8‑05 on Wednesday, as parents, clinicians and patient‑advocacy groups urged the Joint Committee on Financial Services to require routine screening for PANS (Pediatric Acute‑onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections) in medical and clinical settings.

Proponents said the bills would require clinicians in primary care, emergency departments and other clinical settings to screen children and adolescents who present with sudden onset neuropsychiatric symptoms — such as severe anxiety, obsessive‑compulsive behaviors, tics, eating restrictions or marked loss of school functioning — and, when appropriate, order targeted laboratory testing to rule in or out an infection‑triggered, immune‑mediated cause.

Supporters framed the measure as a straightforward public‑health step. “We formed in 2019 to turn diagnosis from luck into everyday practice,” said Jennifer Vitale, co‑leader of the Massachusetts…