Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Newborn Screening Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State Board of Health pauses newborn-screening policy work for 12 months; declines to add MPS II
Summary
The Washington State Board of Health approved a 12-month pause on select newborn screening policy activities starting July 1, 2026, citing a $5.1 million shortfall at the Department of Health. The Board also voted unanimously not to add Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) to the state screening panel.
The Washington State Board of Health on April 8 approved a 12-month pause on certain newborn screening policy activities starting July 1, 2026, after Department of Health officials told the Board the Newborn Screening Program faces a $5.1 million shortfall.
Board Vice Chair Kelly Oshiro moved the measure, saying the pause would include denying rulemaking petitions related to newborn screening and pausing CR-101/CR-102/CR-103 rule filings for the 12-month period; the motion also directed staff to have the Department return to the Board in June with an updated work plan. The motion passed with one member opposed and two abstentions; Chair Patty Hayes recorded the opposition, and Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham and Member Daytheon Sturges abstained.
The Department requested the pause to protect current screening operations while avoiding new, unfunded work. Anna Pickett, Department newborn screening staff, told the Board the program is fully fee-based and noted multiple contributors to the shortfall, including increased laboratory and supply costs (which staff said have risen approximately 200%), staff cost-of-living increases, and other operational expenses.
The Board also agreed to pause convening newborn screening Technical Advisory Committees (TACs) for 12 months effective immediately; that motion carried with two abstentions. Executive Director Michelle Davis told the Board staff had already completed much of the preparatory work for an April 29 TAC on Krabbe disease but that pausing could delay implementation timelines by roughly a year if the work is not resumed.
Separately during the meeting the Board heard the TAC’s recommendation on adding Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) to the state panel. Department and Board staff summarized the federal and TAC review: the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel added MPS II in 2022, but long-term treatment outcome data are limited. Megan McCrillis, Department presenter, said, “Data for rare conditions are often limited and require many years of follow-up,” and TAC members were split; several recommended revisiting the issue when more evidence becomes available. The Board voted unanimously not to add MPS II to Washington’s newborn screening panel at this time.
Chair Hayes emphasized the human impact of these decisions, noting the effect on families and children; several members urged clear public communication. Vice Chair Oshiro and staff framed the pause as a temporary, fiscally driven measure to preserve current services while planning a funding request for the next biennial process.
What happens next: the Board directed staff to work with the Department to return in June with a proposed work plan and an update on the program’s fiscal position. The pause is set to begin July 1, 2026, for 12 months and carries the possibility of extension if financial constraints persist.
