Title: S.L. 1979-1013
Category: Introduced Bills

General Assembly of North Carolina	1979

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.

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Introduced Bill	Page