NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1979 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1013

HOUSE BILL 372

 

 

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR NEWBORN SCREENING FOR CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM.

 

Whereas, congenital hypothyroidism is a common preventable cause of mental retardation; and

Whereas, the incidence in North Carolina is one in every 5,000-6,000 births which will result in 15-20 infants born with this condition each year; and

Whereas, screening methods are now available to detect hypothyroidism in the newborn; and

Whereas, early detection (one-two months of age) of congenital hypothyroidism will prevent severe mental retardation through simple and inexpensive treatment; and

Whereas, newborn screening, diagnosis, and treatment of hypothyroidism would save an institutional care expense of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) per case prevented; Now, therefore,

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund of the State, in addition to all other funds to the Division of Health Services in the Department of Human Resources, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in fiscal year 1979-80 and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in fiscal year 1980-81 to establish statewide newborn screening services for congenital hypothyroidism.

Sec. 2.  This act is effective July 1, 1979.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 8th day of June, 1979.