----- Original Message ----- From: "Holly McSpadden" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 9:34 AM Subject: Re: LLL meetings in Hospitals > Yay Liz!! > > If the listserv had a "LIKE" button, I would be mashing it now! > > Holly McSpadden, IBCLC > > > Holly McSpadden IBCLC > [log in to unmask] > (912) 350-8164 >>>> Elizabeth Brooks <[log in to unmask]> 7/10/2012 7:26 AM >>> > "Trying to get a group started at a LI hospital and bumping into legal > concerns" > > Are you even kiddin' me? What in the heck is WRONG with our world where > mothers walk into hospitals and are routinely man-handled, intimidated and > manipulated during labor, delivery and post-partum care, without a HINT of > litigative ramification ... resulting in reduced BFg initation, duration > and exclusivity rates, to say nothing of a scarred memory of birth ... and > yet we tremble in fear at the prospect of a clutch of mothers and babies > using a community room for a coupla hours a weeks to bond and learn? > > What is the great risk here? Trip-and-fall on a Goldfish cracker? > > Sheesh. > > So: smile, smile, smile while you walk into the trembling decision-maker, > and bring with you the following: > > (1) US Surg Genl Regina Benjamin's Call to Action to Support BF, which > asks ALL parts of the community -- including hopsitals -- to do ALL they > can to support BF. Allowing for members of the neighboring community to > gather in common space at the hospital meets a huge need. > http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/breastfeeding/calltoactiontosupportbreastfeeding.pdf > > (2) Look on the hospital's web-site. I bet dollars-to-donuts that there > is something there proclaiming the facility's love of Good Health and > Happy > Patients and Quality Care and yadda yadda yadda. Print that part out. > > (3) Get your hands ($5 bucks) on a copy of ILCA's 12-page position paper > "Risks of Not BG" to demonstrate that BFg is critical to the health of > mothers and babies ... and the men and women those little babies will all > grow up to be. I'd say this should be on every IBCLC's bookshelf. If not > that, print out the similarly excellent downloadable 2007 seminal work by > Ip et al., thru AHRQ > http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/brfout/brfout.pdf > > (4) Download at LEAST this one from USLCA, and look through the rest of > their excellent advocacy materials, that discuss how IBCLCs help contain > healthcare costs. Yeah, yeah I know -- this is an LLL meeting -- but the > idea is to show something with dollars and cents to decision-makers, to > show that that BF support of ANY kind SAVES MONEY > http://www.ilca.org/files/USLCA/Resources/Publications/Containing_Health_Care_Costs_Help_In_Plain_Sight.pdf > > (5) Take a quick peek at their list of meetings for diabetes support, > colostomy support, weight loss support, breast-and-ovarian-and-prostate > cancer support, heart disease support, addiction support, Alzheimer's > support -- you name it. Ask why there aren't legal concerns about THOSE > groups gathering on site. Act surprised and say "Why, look here!" and > then > point to the cites in "Risks of Not BFg" that tie reduced life-long risks > of many of these morbidities with support for BF early in life. > > (6) Remind those myopic decision-makers that GENERATIONS of health-care > decision-making is driven by the MOTHERS in a family. That means: where > does my kid get his first stitches? Where does my hubby get his apnea > test? Where does grandma go for cataract surgery? Where does Uncle Joe > get his cancer treatment? What better way to expose the institution to > YEARS of income than to be open and welcoming to young mothers and their > children? > > (7) Print out and bring the CDC Report Card, and show them New York's > rather embarrassing placement. Tell them the fastest cheapest and easiest > way they can increase those 3- and 6-month BFg rates, and 3- and 6-month > *exclusivity* rates, is by sponsoring mother-to-mother community based > support > http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/2011BreastfeedingReportCard.pdf > > (8) Print out a few of the "Speak Up" campaign materials written by the > Joint Commission on the topic of breastfeeding. > http://www.jointcommission.org/speakup_breastfeeding/. Or maybe remind > them that the Joint Commission is now using exclusive BFg as a core > measure > of perinatal care. Does the facility really want to be seen as doing the > precise opposite of what the Joint Commission has declared is a vital > *patient* right ... to speak up for and get qualified lactation care? > Yeah, yeah I know -- this is a LLL meeting. But what sort of message does > it send if they kick mothers out the door after delivery with NO > consideration of continuity of community-based care? > > (9) Oh wait .... can you hear that? Isn't that the CDC telling US-based > hospitals that as a *matter of public health* they should be supporting > Baby Friendly Hospital Initiatives ... including Step 10 "Foster the > establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on > discharge from the hospital or clinic" ? > ht<http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1013_babyfriendly_hospitals.html> > tp://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1013_babyfriendly_hospitals.html<http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1013_babyfriendly_hospitals.html> > > (1o) Remind them that the New York State Dept of Health wants them to be > promoting and protecting BFg: > http://www.health.ny.gov/community/pregnancy/breastfeeding/ > > Liz Brooks JD IBCLC FILCA > Wyndmoor, PA, USA > > *********************************************** > > Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html > To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] > Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] > COMMANDS: > 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: > set lactnet nomail > 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail > 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet > 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet > welcome > > > *********************************************** > > Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html > To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] > Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] > COMMANDS: > 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: > set lactnet nomail > 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail > 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet > 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet > welcome *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome