Subject of Possible Rule Making: Chapter 246-650 WAC, Newborn screening, the Washington state board of health (board) is considering adding severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) to the list of mandatory conditions for newborn screening (NBS) conducted by the department of health (department).

     Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 70.83.030 and 43.20.050.

     Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommended SCID be included in all states' NBS programs. In response, the board and the department convened a NBS advisory committee to review SCID against a set of criteria that helps the board determine which conditions newborns should be screened for in Washington state. The board accepted the NBS advisory committee's recommendation that SCID be included in the NBS panel contingent on finding sustainable funding. SCID is typically fatal in the first years of life. Early detection through NBS allows affected infants to receive bone marrow transplant before damage is caused by the disorder and while the child can still be cured of the condition.

     Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: None.

     Process for Developing New Rule: Collaborative; the board and the department used a NBS advisory committee to evaluate whether SCID met the board's criteria for inclusion as one of the conditions that newborns are screened for at birth. The board accepted the recommendation, and now wants to proceed with rule making to assure that rules are in place to allow the testing to take place as soon as funding is available.

     Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Tara Wolff, 101 Israel Road S.E., Tumwater, WA 98504, phone (360) 236-4101, fax (360) 236-4088, e-mail tara.wolff@doh.wa.gov; or Michael Glass, Director Newborn Screening, Washington Department of Health, 1610 N.E. 150th Street, Shoreline, 98155, phone (206) 418-5470, fax (206) 418-5415, e-mail mike.glass@doh.wa.gov. Presentations to the board and the board's motion are available at the board's web site http://sboh.wa.gov.

May 10, 2013

Michelle A. Davis

Executive Director