Newborn screening results: sickle cell trait

The California Newborn Screening (NBS) Program has been screening all babies in California for sickle cell and other hemoglobin diseases since February 27, 1990. The screening methodology used in California also identifies babies with sickle cell trait and other hemoglobin traits​. ​Screening results are available for those born on or after February 27, 1990. 

Note that screening is designed to identify individuals in a population who may be at an increased risk of a certain disorder. Screening identifies those who will benefit from further evaluation from a licensed medical professional. ​​Screening is not the same as a diagnostic test. A diagnostic test is required to confirm a screening result. ​

NCAA student athletes and others requesting trait results

NCAA student athletes and others wanting sickle cell  trait results may fill out CDPH Form 4400 (PDF) to get them. These results will satisfy the NCAA requirement for college student athletes to have documentation of their trait status. 

It may take from a few days to up to a month to process your request 

Please read who can fill out CDPH Form 4400​: 

1. If the student is 18 years or older: the student must fill out and submit the form. Parents, caregivers, or guardians cannot request results for children 18 years or older.
   
2. If the student is under 18 years: parents, caregivers, or guardians​ must fill out and submit the form to request results​.
   

Note that athletic personnel should not be submitting requests on behalf of students​. The results will be emailed to the email address or addresses provided. If you are an NCAA athlete, include your email address or the email addresses of coaches or trainers, or both, for reporting of results.​

Please note that you can also get a sickle cell trait test from your doctor or medical provider. Documentation of that test would also satisfy the NCAA requirement. 

To request results 

If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat ​software on your computer, you will need to download the program to fill out CDPH Form 4400 (PDF) and submit it online. 

To download Adobe Acrobat: On the Adobe Acrobat web page, click on the “Download Adobe Reader” button and follow the instructions on the screen to download the program to your computer.​

Please note that the “Submit Online” button on the online form works best when the CDPH 4400 form has been downloaded from a browser onto your computer. If you are having trouble submitting the form, please check that you have downloaded the form as described below.

Step 1: Download the form

• Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox user: please right click the CDPH Form 4400 (PDF) link and choose “Save link as” to download the file, name it, and save it to your computer or tablet.

• Safari (Mac) user: ​​please click the ​CDPH 4400 (PDF) form link to download the file, name it, and save it to your computer or tablet.
  

Step 2: Save the file

Find the “Download” folder on your computer where the file has downloaded with the name you gave it. Click on the file to open it. The fields to fill out should be outlined in red. 

If the fields are not outlined in red, save the file to the computer again, then close that file. Reopen the file from the “Download” folder. If the fields to fill out are outlined in red, you are ready to fill out the form.

Step 3: Fill out the form

Fill out all the required fields outlined in red. Include all basic information. If you do not have information to put in one or two fields that are not outlined in red, leave them blank.

We can only send results to email addresses listed on the request form. If you’d like your results emailed to more than one address, please list the emails on the form, separated by a semicolon.

Step 4: Send in the form online

When the form is filled and ready, send in the form online by clicking on the “Submit Online” button at the top of CDPH Form 4400. Clicking on that button should create an email that is ready to send. Send the email.

​​If you are unable to submit the form online

If the “Submit Online” button does not work, please check that you have downloaded the form to your computer and filled it in completely before hitting the submit button. Downloading the form to your computer bypasses potential browser issues and facilitates online form submission. Online submission of the CDPH 4400 form expedites automatic processing of your request.

However, if you have downloaded the form and still cannot submit online, there are two other ways to send in CDPH Form 4400:

1. ​​When CDPH Form 4400 is filled and ready,​ save it to the computer again. ​Email the PDF file from your computer​ by attaching it to an email addressed to NCAANBSresults@cdph.ca.gov, or
   

2. Print out CDPH Form 4400 using the “Print” button on the second page. On the printed form, fill in the required fields using a pen in BLOCK letters that are easy to read. Scan CDPH Form 4400​ to a computer or take a photo of it with a phone. Email the PDF version of CDPH Form 4400 from your computer​ or phone by attaching it to an email addressed to NCAANBSresults@cdph.ca.gov.​​​​​
   

Frequently Asked Questions