ABOUT KIDSNET

KIDSNET started collecting information about children born in Rhode Island on January 1, 1997. KIDSNET also obtains information about children born out of state if they see a Rhode Island participating doctor or receive services at a KIDSNET participating program.

KIDSNET also collects immunizations given by a participating provider for all children from birth through age 18.

KIDSNET information comes from the following sources:

• Birth Records
• Pediatric providers, Family Practice Doctors, and other Primary Care Practitioners
• Children’s immunization histories (including all states and foreign countries where the child had healthcare)
• Laboratory reports from Newborn Bloodspot
• WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children)
• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
• Early Intervention
• Newborn Developmental Risk Assessment
• Rhode Island Hearing Assessment Program
• Family Outreach Program (home visiting)
• Birth Defects Program

By April 2007, KIDSNET contained:

• 204,114 children in the database
• 2,240,997 immunization records
• 152 pediatric practices participating in KIDSNET
• 138,449 children who had received the universal newborn screening for developmental risks
• 72,700 children who had a record of being in WIC
• 14,129 children who had a record of being in Early Intervention
• 295,401 blood lead test results
• 302,889 hearing screening tests
• 45,608 newborn blood spot tests

Because KIDSNET serves as Rhode Island’s immunization registry, a significant portion of our funding comes from federal support through the Immunization Program. State vaccine accountability funds (assessed from insurers) provide another significant funding stream. Other federal grants, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services State Systems Development Initiative, also contribute to KIDSNET. A small portion of funding also comes from the state budget.