North Dakota 's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program is housed on the campus of Minot State University : North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities. It began in 2000 with ND First Sounds, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Originally a Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) grant, ND First Sounds provided the means for each ND birthing hospital to obtain state-of-the-art hearing testing equipment, training for staff, access to a statewide reporting system, and technical support to implement a UNHS program. The program was successful in increasing the percent of infants that receive a hearing screening prior to hospital discharge from 39% in 1999 to 96% in 2006. All birthing hospitals continue to conduct a hearing screen prior to hospital discharge. As the focus shifted from UNHS to EHDI , ND First Sounds shifted its focus as well. ND First Sounds received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2005 to provide follow up and intervention and services. The program continues to focus on birth screens, while Project Kaylyn (CDC grant) focuses on ensuring that babies receive a second follow-up hearing screening or audiological assessment (if needed), and are provided appropriate early intervention services as necessary. Together, ND First Sounds and Project Kaylyn create a comprehensive model promoting newborn hearing screenings, by one month of age, diagnosis by three months of age, and early intervention by six months of age, for infants and children with hearing loss and their families.

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