Newborn screening is a test done on every child born in the US shortly after birth to detect diseases where, if not diagnosed and treated in the newborn period, the child will suffer significant trauma, disability or die. A few drops of blood from each baby's heel is put on a card and sent to the state's public health lab for testing. Most states screen for at least 30 disorders, but research using newborn screening bloodspots that are left over from the process can be used by researchers to develop tests for additional disorders. Bloodspot research holds the promise for the future of newborn screening. According to Dr. Maria L. Escolar, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Pediatrician and Director of the Program for Neurodevelopmental Function in Rare Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, newborn screening is instrumental in preventing irreversible damage to the neurological system. One of the nation's largest public health care programs, newborn screening is essential to the health of babies. This life saving public health care program screens 4.2 million babies born in the United States each year for disorders that are often not apparent at birth. With these tests, it is estimated that more than 5,000 babies each year will be saved from a life-time of cognitive disabilities, developmental disorders, physical disability, or death. (Contains 1 footnote.)