All 18 Saskatchewan hospitals, including Swift Current's Cypress Regional Hospital, that regularly deliver babies, will now be able to screen newborn babies for early signs of hearing loss.

The announcement from the provincial government is a part of the universal newborn hearing screening program. The program identifies early signs of hearing loss to improve the language and literacy skills of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

"This new program will improve hearing services provided to infants," said Colleen Book, a communications consultant with the Ministry of Health.

"Benefits of this program are targeted to infants and ensuring they are screened as early as possible. Early screening is considered best practice."

Funding of $523,000 was provided in last year's budget to purchase equipment and hire staff.

Book said this program started being rolled out last year.

"The first site was launched in Moose Jaw in December 2018, and the program rolled out in all other locations over the year," she said. "Prior to the launch of the first site, equipment was being purchased, and hiring of a program lead and necessary policies and procedures, along with training was developed."

The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program provides hearing tests to babies before they are discharged from the hospital.

"This helps identify any potential signs of hearing loss as early as possible," she said. "The screening processes, while in very early stages, is demonstrating to be highly effective in both the testing outcomes and reducing the need for repeat testing for the newborn at one and two months of age."

This is anticipated to reduce return visits and travel for families, with Book noting patients and staff satisfaction surveys have been overwhelmingly positive.

Book also added that, without a hearing screening program, many children with hearing loss are not diagnosed until they are approximately 24-30 months old, and may experience delays in language development.