TY - JOUR T1 - Q&A with Scott Becker of the Association of Public Health Laboratories: ‘It really is all about the babies’: 50 years of screening: Testing newborns can prevent lifelong illness JF - The Nation's Health JO - Nations Health SP - 9 LP - 9 VL - 43 IS - 6 AU - Charlotte Tucker Y1 - 2013/08/01 UR - http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/43/6/9.abstract N2 - Newborn screening — the system of testing newborns for treatable diseases in order to catch them before they take a toll — turns 50 in August. The screenings, mandated by states and given to virtually every baby, save or improve 12,000 lives every year. The tests are conducted in state public health laboratories, and if problems are detected, families are ushered into a treatment and follow-up program. Scott Becker, MS, executive director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories and an APHA member, spoke with APHA about what newborn screening has accomplished in the past 50 years and what the future holds. ER -