FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EveryStep Receives Grant to Expand Newborn Hearing Care Coordination Services
DES MOINES, Iowa (April 15, 2026) – EveryStep announced it has been awarded a three-year grant from the Oberkotter Foundation to expand care coordination services for Iowa families whose newborns require additional hearing screening and/or interventions after birth.
The grant, secured in partnership with Iowa Health and Human Services and the University of Iowa, will support a new initiative to improve access to follow-up care for infants who do not pass their initial hospital hearing screening.
“This opportunity reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting emerging needs in our communities,” said Becky Borgman, Maternal and Reproductive Health Director of EveryStep. “We continues to see access to care becoming a growing barrier and critical need within our community. For families whose newborns have been identified with or at-risk for hearing loss, improving timely access to hearing screening, diagnosis, and follow-up care can make a world of difference. By delivering personalized hearing health care navigation and support directly to families, we remain focused on breaking down barriers and improving access every step of the way.”
Through this initiative, EveryStep will collaborate with birthing centers and health care providers across Iowa to identify families in need of hearing health care support. An audiology health navigator will work directly with families to coordinate appointments, address transportation and system barriers, and connect them to vital medical, educational and community resources.
“EveryStep’s Care and Support services continually seek to meet the needs of the communities we serve,” said Molly Gosselink, Community Health Vice President of EveryStep. “We’re honored to have been awarded this opportunity to grow the services we provide in an intentional way to meet Iowans’ needs.”
This new program directly aligns with EveryStep’s mission to empower individuals, support families and strengthen communities by ensuring that all children and their families have access to the care and resources they need during critical early stages of development.
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About EveryStep
One of Iowa’s oldest and most trusted nonprofits, EveryStep has been providing health care and community services since 1908. We are committed to delivering exceptional care and support when it matters most. From hospice care and home health services to programs for growing families and grief and loss support, our dedicated team walks alongside individuals and families during life’s most challenging times, ensuring compassion, dignity and empathy. To learn more about EveryStep and its more than 20 programs and services, please visit www.everystep.org.
About the Oberkotter Foundation
The Oberkotter Foundation helps families ensure their children who are deaf or hard of hearing have opportunities to reach their full potential through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL).
The Foundation is committed to advancing science and innovation that will improve access to quality audiological and LSL services for children with hearing loss so that they develop age-appropriate listening, talking, and literacy skills. Since 1985, the Foundation has provided over $500 million in funding to improve listening, spoken language, and literacy outcomes for children with hearing loss and their families. Read more about the Oberkotter Foundation.
