Several Lactnetters were looking for the news release from the  Massachusetts 
Breastfeeding Coalition on the ban of discharge bags which is now  working on 
the website at _www.massbfc.org_ (http://www.massbfc.org) . By Friday we will 
have a  summary of the breastfeeding sections of the new regs up on the 
website too,  along with the memorandum written by our state department of public 
health. In  the meantime, I am happy to send these items to people as an 
attachment if you  want them. I extracted from the regs all of the pertinent 
breastfeeding  sections which go beyond banning the commercial gift bags. There was 
an article  in the Boston Globe today which can be found at:
 
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/22/to_boost_nu
rs
ing_state_puts_limits_on_gifts_of_formula?p1=email_to_a_friend

Hopefully this can be used as a model for making changes in each state here  
in the US. If hospitals refuse to engage in evidence-based practice and 
provide  appropriate lactation care and services on their own, then hopefully these 
regs  will educate them as to what needs to be done. Our department of public 
health  also has a document outlining breastfeeding guidelines for hospitals 
that will  be revised to reflect the new regs. In this will be further 
explanations of how  to implement the new sections of the regs. The guidelines are not 
mandates like  the regs, but provide the framework for best practices and how 
to implement  regulations. The current hospital guidelines can be found at: 
_www.mass.gov/dph/fch/breastfeeding/guidelines.pdf_ 
(http://www.mass.gov/dph/fch/breastfeeding/guidelines.pdf) 
 
Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html