We just learned today that a bill (SB 22 - Migden) was signed by the
governor that:

* 	(a) The State Department of Public Health shall include in its
public service campaign the promotion of mothers breast-feeding their
infants.
	(b) The department shall develop a model eight-hour training course
of hospital policies and recommendations that promote exclusive
breast-feeding, incorporating available materials already developed by the
department, and shall specify hospital staff for whom this model training is
appropriate. The department shall also provide the model training materials
to hospitals, upon request.

* To the extent that non-United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
federal funds and private grants or donations are made available for this
purpose, the State Department of Public Health shall, no later than July 1,
2008, begin expansion of the breast-feeding peer counseling program at local
agency California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC) sites. Program expansion shall be contingent upon the
availability of non-USDA federal funds and private grants or donations being
made available for this purpose. Nothing in this section shall impact USDA
federal funding for the WIC Supplemental Food Program or the breast-feeding
peer counseling program at local agency WIC sites.

* Instructs the health department to: streamline and simplify existing
Medi-Cal program procedures in order to improve access to lactation supports
and breast pumps among Medi-Cal recipients.

It can be viewed in its entirety at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sb_22_bill_2007101
1_chaptered.pdf

I'm always glad when breastfeeding information (the first part of the bill
lists why breastfeeding is important) is shared with the legislature.

I'm also glad when they value Peer Counselor programs... but I wish they'd
actually FUNDED some of these projects instead of saying "contingent upon
the availability of non-USDA funds and private grants or donations" for
their expansion.

(Same for the hospital administrative and staff training and the public
service campaigns and Medi-Cal coverage!)

AND beyond it all - I wish they had credited and added to the hard working
staff in the Epidemiology group of the Maternal Child and Adolescent Health
offices - they do a magnificent job of collaborating with others to gather
data and then take MONTHS to perform their statistical magic in creating
charts that we can download and use to create presentations that actually
get people to pay attention to what we have to say!  They are un-sung and
un-appreciated heroes - so I'm praising them to you - Dr. Mike Curtis, Amy
Godecker and Carina Saraiva - now YOU know who they are!

Well - baby steps!

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, PHN, IBCLC
California, USA

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