Last week, Mississippi Representative Missy McGee and Senator Chris Johnson introduced HB 927 and SB 2900, legislation that would help save the lives of more than 100 babies born in Mississippi annually. The bills, referred to as RUSP alignment legislation, provide a thoughtful approach to expanding newborn screening in Mississippi and ensure that all conditions on the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) are implemented by the state within a reasonable amount of time.
Patient organizations are encouraged to support this legislation by signing the letter of support led by the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases.
Mississippi residents are encouraged to ask their state representatives to support this legislation using the Foundation’s online form. The pre-filled form automatically sends a message to constituent’s representatives and takes less than a minute to complete.
This legislation will eliminate the unnecessary delay in screening for diseases after they have been added to the RUSP, ensuring Mississippi babies who are born with debilitating and life-threatening diseases are diagnosed and treated at the earliest age possible.
The RUSP is periodically updated using a thorough, science and evidence-based deliberative review process involving a national committee of experts in newborn screening. By allowing Mississippi to take advantage of the work done by these medical experts, we can remove the obstacles to early detection and ensure that Mississippi babies have access to these life-saving diagnoses as soon as possible.
For the more than 100 Mississippi babies expected to receive a diagnosis due to newborn screening annually, this critical program allows for successful management of diseases at a lower-long term cost- not only saving lives, but also saving state funds.
