THIS IS AN EMAIL FROM SENATOR TICER OFFICE (PAntonides@aol.com) - please give her an email - to support this!! I want to thank all of you for responding to our request for people who have a CAH child and who support adding testing for CAH to the newborn screening tests currently conducted here in Virginia. Senator Ticer's bill, SB 1007, provides for this. Our bill in the last Session, SB 699, which provided for a study to determine whether this testing should be included, produced "A Study of the Feasibility of Adding Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia to Newborn Screening Tests". As you know, there was a very good chance that the author of the study, the Department of Health, would oppose the testing on the grounds that adding it may cost more than the cost of identifying these children when they become ill. I talked to Dr. Donald R. Stern, Director of the Office of Family Health Services, Department of Health, today and he tells me that the Health Department is now prepared to support the bill. I understand that there have been several discussions of it, and others in the Department are now willing to support it. I told him that we were prepared to bring many, many witnesses to testify in support of it and he asked that we don't do that and promised his Department's support. I would, however, like to have one person come as a representative of CAH parents. Roberta -would you be able to do that? Or is there someone here in Richmond who could do it - it's close for them. The hearing will be Thursday, January 25 before the Senate Education and Health Committee. It is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. but I cannot guarantee that it will be the first (or even 2nd, third or fourth) bill. Please respond. If any of you are interested in a copy of the Study, let me know and we will mail you a copy - please include your mailing address. The Senator very much appreciates your support for this legislation and we look forward to the bill's enactment. I will make an effort to let you know when that happens. Peggy Papp, Aide to Senator Ticer PAntonides@aol.com