Today the Minnesota Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed its budget bill. Included in the bill is language that implements the “Vivian Act,” a bipartisan bill authored by Senator Karin Housley (R-Stillwater). Language included in the bill specifically seeks to ensure that institutions caring for infants arrange to have every infant and child in its care tested for heritable and congenital disorders. 

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus affecting more than half of all Americans by age 40 but is specifically dangerous for pregnant women that have the condition. If a mother currently has CMV, it can cause birth defects and brain damage in their children. The “Vivian Act” is named after Leah Henrikson’s daughter, Vivian, who was born with hearing loss and then diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy—both of which were traced back to CMV. With quick medical intervention, Vivian was able to receive the attention she needed.

“I’m so happy that we were able to get this language into the HHS budget,” said Sen. Housley. “CMV is such a challenging virus to navigate because it is so often undiagnosed. It’s so important that we ensure our healthcare workers are testing infants for this and other heritable diseases as soon as possible. As a mother, I know how scary it can be to have a sick child, and I can only imagine how terrifying it is when your child is suffering due to a completely preventable virus. This legislation has the ability to save lives, and the importance of that cannot be stressed enough.”