Every parent hopes to hear their baby cry, babble, and eventually say their first word. For some newborns, undetected hearing loss can quietly stand in the way of that milestone, affecting speech, language, and overall development down the line. Catching it early changes everything, which is why newborn hearing screening exists in the first place.
We’re proud to share that Active Hearing Center Main Branch is now officially NHSRC Category C Certified, recognized by the Philippine Newborn Hearing Screening Reference Center (NHSRC) and the Department of Health as an Advanced, Fully Capable Audiology Facility.
What This Certification Means
Newborn hearing screening in the Philippines is mandated under Republic Act 9709, the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act, which requires that every infant be screened for hearing loss before hospital discharge or within their first few months of life. Facilities that provide this service must be certified by the DOH, based on standards set together with the National Institutes of Health — and that certification isn’t handed out casually. It requires the right equipment, trained and credentialed personnel, and consistent adherence to national screening protocols.
Earning Category C status means Active Hearing Center Main Branch has met the standards to provide the full continuum of newborn hearing care, from initial screening all the way through diagnosis and intervention. In practice, this means we’re equipped to offer:
- Newborn Hearing Screening (OAE) — the initial otoacoustic emissions test that checks how well a baby’s inner ear responds to sound.
- Confirmatory & Diagnostic Evaluation (ABR/ASSR) — more advanced testing for babies who need a closer look after an initial screening, helping pinpoint the type and degree of any hearing loss.
- Early Intervention & Hearing Aid Trial/Fitting — support for families to act quickly once a diagnosis is made, since early intervention before six months of age gives children the best chance at typical speech and language development.
Put simply: families no longer need to be referred elsewhere for follow-up testing or intervention. It can all happen in one trusted place.
Why This Matters for Families
Hearing loss that isn’t caught early can be easy to miss in the first months of life — babies who can’t hear well can still make sounds, react to touch, and seem generally responsive. That’s exactly why screening at birth, rather than waiting for a parent to notice a delay, is so critical. The earlier hearing loss is identified, the earlier a child can begin intervention — and the research is clear that early intervention leads to meaningfully better speech, language, and developmental outcomes.
With this certification, parents in and around our Main Branch now have direct access to a facility built for this exact purpose, staffed by clinicians trained and certified specifically in newborn hearing care, and equipped with the diagnostic tools to follow through from the first test to a full treatment plan.
We’re deeply grateful to our clinicians and staff for the work that went into reaching this milestone, and to the NHSRC and DOH representatives who recognized it.
Every child deserves the best possible start — and that starts with being heard.
Give Your Child the Best Start
Whether you’re a new parent looking to schedule a newborn hearing screening, or you have concerns about a loved one’s hearing at any age, our team at Active Hearing Center Main Branch is ready to help.
