Wisconsin SHINE Project

Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) affects the lives and families of approximately 10,000 babies born in the United States every year. While many of these babies will be identified by prenatal ultrasound and newborn exam, some of these babies will appear perfectly healthy in the newborn period. To prevent serious morbidity and mortality resulting from missed or delayed diagnosis of CCHD, in 2011 the US Secretary of Health and Human Services recommended that all newborns be screened for CCHD using pulse oximetry.

The Wisconsin SHINE Project (Screening Hearts in Newborns), supported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, is a statewide collaboration designed to provide information and resources for universal screening of newborns for CCHD. The goal of the SHINE Project is to create a safety net for all babies born in Wisconsin by educating healthcare providers, improving access to screening and diagnostic technology, and overseeing a statewide CCHD screening and data collection system. Through this collaboration, the Wisconsin SHINE Project will ensure early detection of asymptomatic CCHD and improve the health and wellbeing of these babies and their families. The SHINE Project began as a three year federally funded program. The functions of the SHINE Project are funded by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.