Helen, discouraging times for you and employers isn't it?

Does your hospital have  "a procedure by which an employee may request
to be excused from participating in an aspect of a patient's care or
treatment in situations where the prescribed care or treatment presents
a conflict with the employee's cultural values, sense of ethics, or
religious beliefs"?   This quote is from my hospital's Human Resources
Policy and Procedures manual.

I believe this type of policy could be used to request being excused
from distributing formula packs.   I do however fear an employee doing
so could be requested to transfer to another position where the question
won't be as likely to come up, like out of the Maternal Child Unit, so
I'd want to be sure of my value to the unit's manager before making the
request.  Also, be aware that in the beginning someone else will just be
assigned to do the distribution.  But, it is making a statement and it
will get others thinking.

The type of situations given as examples in our procedure are: abortion,
sterilization, withholding or withdrawing life support, administration
of blood/blood products and best of all "Following a physician's orders
for plan of care when the employee believes that the best interests of
the patient are at risk."

Another thought, could this issue be taken to the hospital's Ethics
Committee?

Good luck, Carla D'Anna (in MD, just north of Washington, DC)