Megan informed us of the badge holders that a formula company has given to
nurses. You may wish to let the following people in your institution know
about this and ask if it is ethical to advertise products to patients. The
ethics committee, the president/ceo of the hospital, human services (to see
if employees have signed a form related to conduct and the marketing of
products to patients). I would also ask the hospital attorney if the hospital
or nurse is liable for poor outcomes or damages if the mothers who see these
badge holders feed formula to their babies. Check your hospital's vendor
policy to see if the vendor has violated it with this tactic.

Then we could also start wearing badge holders advertising Tupperware,
cosmetics, and all sorts of other things that nurses could sell on the side.
Maybe the nurses could have a van parked outside with their wares so that
when they discharge mothers, the mothers can go to the van and buy things
they do not need. All under the guise of "my nurse said it was good." Too bad
some nurses are so easily swayed with trinkets to become unpaid marketing
reps. Are they so gullible that they cannot see how they are being used? See
if any of the mothers would write and complain.

Please send me a sample of this badge and any other book, etc that the
formula companies are handing out. I am still gathering examples of the
massive amounts of materials that the formula companies are pouring into
marketing. I need these for the report card on the State of the Code-USA that
I am compiling.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
254 Conant Rd
Weston, MA 02493

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