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Date: | Wed, 22 Feb 2006 07:19:31 EST |
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This is a brief summary of the work the Massachusetts Breastfeeding
Coalition has been doing to keep the formula bag ban in place. We managed to get a 3
month extension to further work on the issue.
As you are all aware, the Public health Council was asked by the Executive
Office of Health and Human Services and the Executive Office on Administration
and Finances to remove the piece in the perinatal regulations regarding
distribution of formula gift bags. On Friday Feb 17 we found out that there would
be a meeting Tuesday Feb 21 regarding disposition of the regs. We thought
that it was a done deal, that the language was going to revert back to the old
regs, and that our new language would be removed. So, over the weekend we put
together a cover letter and abstracts of research articles and overnight
mailed this packet to members on the Public Health Council. They received a
special delivery packet Monday with our position and request to keep the new
language. We sent out a press release and contacted as many of our media contacts
that we could. We asked for mothers and babies to come to the meeting too.
MANY email letters went to the governor and Finance Office over the weekend.
We made press packets for today with a new press release and a number of
supporting documents to give to the media that would be there. The Public Health
Council met today to a packed house. When it came to our issue, there was no
discussion allowed from the floor. Finally one member of the Council said
that she thought the gift bags were detrimental to breastfeeding and that
hospitals should not be the conduit for marketing formula at the expense of
breastfeeding. The other female Council member agreed and asked that the issue be
further studied by the Public Health Council over the next 3 months. So all of
the new regs have been approved (including all of the new regs regarding
breastfeeding) and the gift bag issue is still alive. Over the next 3 months the
issue will be looked at more closely and we hope to be able to participate
at some point in the process.
The press was there, both TV and newspapers as well as the State House press
corps. Each reporter received a press kit from MBC and as soon as the part
of the meeting was over regarding the formula bag issues, the press, TV, and
MBC moved out into the hallway for an hour of press interviews. What was really
fantastic is that we had 3 mothers there, one who had driven in today from
Poughkipsee, New York! The press made a beeline to them after the meeting for
interviews!
So, lots of hard work paid off. We are still not through with the formula
bag issue. I want to thank everyone who wrote and worked hard on making this
happen. While we are not out of the woods yet, there is still hope!
Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA
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