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TDH outlines CHANCE referral process, newborn‑screening education and maternal health grants
Summary
Tennessee Department of Health presented operational updates on November perinatal initiatives: a standardized CHANCE NICU referral process, a prenatal newborn‑screening education rollout, distribution of BP cuffs funded by maternal health grants, and expanded perinatal mental‑health training and assessments.
Lizzie Harvey of the Tennessee Department of Health presented perinatal program updates and operational improvements planned for late 2025, including a formal, standardized referral process from NICUs into the CHANCE call center, expanded prenatal newborn‑screening education materials, and several workforce and maternal mental‑health initiatives.
Harvey said the department has linked a standardized referral form to the birth file workflow: provisional birth records are sent weekly to CHANCE and NICU infants are prioritized for call‑center screening given their higher risk. Participation in CHANCE pathways is voluntary and requires consent; staff said the department will follow up with a written timeline about typical wait times from referral to phone screening. Harvey noted the department is investing in interoperable systems with texting functionality to improve reach and reduce missed contacts.
On newborn screening, TDH will begin distributing prenatal education materials Nov. 1 to health departments and OB offices for inclusion in prenatal packets and waiting‑room displays; staff also offered short videos that practices can show in prenatal classes or waiting rooms. Members said they were seeing increased prenatal refusals for newborn screening and expressed interest in accessible, light‑language materials.
Harvey highlighted maternal health innovation grants and program supports: TennCare now offers a free home blood‑pressure program for pregnant and postpartum members; TDH has ordered more than 1,400 home BP monitors for distribution through perinatal regional centers and urged providers to promote the TennCare BP cuff benefit. The department also reported training and attendance for perinatal mental‑health programs, a new needs assessment with Centerstone focused on maternal mental‑health and substance‑use disorders, and funding support for perinatal‑provider training in perinatal mood disorders.
Harvey added that West Tennessee perinatal centers have built partnerships with seven community clinics and local EMS/fire programs to strengthen education and newborn emergency preparedness (neonatal resuscitation training and whole‑body cooling access). The Birth Defects program reported improved timeliness for medical‑record requests (from a two‑month lag to about 10 days) and pilot efforts for electronic case reporting.
Committee members discussed the timing of provisional birth‑file delivery to CHANCE and the difficulty of reaching parents by phone when infants are in the NICU. TDH staff said they will measure wait times from referral to contact as a follow up and will prioritize NICU referrals. The department also solicited feedback about convening broader meetings for representatives from all birthing facilities to improve communication between TDH, TennCare and managed care organizations.
