Hello!
I used to post on Lactnet occasionally a few years ago so I am
reintroducing myself briefly. I am an MSW social worker and I
retook my IBCLC test last July so I've been a Lactation consultant
for almost 11 years now. I work at the Division of Health in DHHS in
Arkansas, doing maternity clinics and working in WIC.
Here is what I would like some information about. Does anyone know
about WIC funding positions for IBCLCs, especially if they are not
RDs or RNs? This is what has happened to me. I have been in a part-
time position for a long time now, for reasons I won't go into. It is
funded by Maternal and Child Health. For over a year and a half, I've
been getting partial promises that WIC is going to pick up the
remainder of my salary so I can go to full-time. They paid for me to
retake my exam and are paying for me to go to the LLLI Physician's
conference in July. Both a year ago in a mini-grant written to WIC by
our region and currently would have involved me supervising
breastfeeding peer counselors. I am the one who developed the peer
counselor program for our state about 12 years ago. I was going to
be moved into a position this time called Regional Breastfeeding
Coordinator. I was told last week that the paperwork for this was
being done. This Friday, at a WIC training in front of over 100
people, without any word to me first, the nutritionist doing the
portion of the training on breastfeeding announced "and we have some
changes in our region, Christine X is going to be our new Regional
Breastfeeding Coordinator and Lucy Towbin and Barbara X will be her
assistants." Christine is an RD who is very positive about
breastfeeding and someone I like. She has had some of the advanced
breastfeeding training that WIC has put on some years ago. But her
knowledge level is not the same as an IBCLC by any means. I was told
at the lunch break when everyone realized that this had not been a
good way for me to find out about it, that WIC regulations require
that peer counselors be supervised by an RD or an RN. An IBCLC isn't
an option? I've never seen these regulations. I find it odd that
nobody knew these regulations until a week after some of Christine's
other job duties were taken away. When I sat with the three RDs and
discussed this, they said there still MIGHT be the option of WIC
picking up the remainder of my salary, but I can't officially
supervise the peer counselors. They said I can train them, check to
see that they are doing their job, be a consultant to them for
difficult cases, but not supervise them. Sounds like I WOULD be
supervising them, but not have the title and maybe not the money,
don't you think?
Lucy Towbin, MSW, LCSW, IBCLC
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