Local Hospital Joins Baby Heart Screen Effort

Virginia Baptist Hospital has joined the University of Virginia Health System and four other Virginia hospitals that are taking part in a pilot project to screen newborns for critical congenital heart disease. The Department of Health says the project follows an executive order from Gov. Bob McDonnell to develop a plan to implement screening. Officials say that congenital heart defects affect about one in every 110 babies in the U.S. About 2 of every 1,000 babies have more serious forms of heart disease that can cause serious illness or even death if not found quickly. Babies are screened using a sensor that measures the amount of oxygen in the baby’s blood.