Thank you to all that have responded (on-list and off-list) - I really appreciate your wisdom and opinions.

Just to clarify some points:
1) Our project, which has many objectives - the main one being a telephone triage line - was proposed using the Certified Lactation Educator training.  This was not my (or even my agency's) decision, but rather our local Breastfeeding Promotion Coalition (made up of the local IBCLCs as well as a variety of nutritionists, CLEs, health educators, etc.).  Our support 'helpline' provides assistance seven days a week from 6am to 10pm.  As a requirement of the training, each CLE volunteer agreed to donate one day per month for one year to assist with this line.  We use "Certified Lactation Educators" as our definition of who is providing this support.

2)  I certainly understand that there is a vast difference between our CLEs and an IBCLC.  But since this is the way the project was written I cannot see how we could make any adaptations at this point.  We only have three IBCLCs in our community, and at this point none of them are even willing to volunteer on the support line.  We want to be able to provide a service to the moms in our community (actually County - Kern County is roughly the size of Massachusetts - so it's a daunting task!) and the need is definitely out there.  So what choices to we have?

I know that the average bf mommy out there that is having problems probably will not know the difference between our CLEs and a IBCLC - but I look at it this way: 1) The mom has the choice to either contact the hospital she delivered at for assistance with our IBCLCs; 2) contact the bf help/lactation consultation businesses (basically our IBCLCs in private practice) or 3) call our toll-free support line and get information and referrals from us.  We cannot make that decision for her - and all we can do is really impress upon our volunteers to refer, refer, refer (!) anything that are uncomfortable handing.  (I really think they would).  We are just trying to provide an additional (and maybe easier) route for women who have issues/concerns.

We have made a modification to our project and provided the three IBCLCs with cell phones to our CLE volunteers can have a direct connection with them (to ask about a difficult situation, refer someone to them, etc.) - but at this point I am not sure if this is going to help since our IBCLCs are unwilling to answer these phones all the time.

So please, keep the discussion going, and let me know if I need to clarify anything else!  I'll also be checking the LactNet archives for additional info.

Thanks,
Amy Smith
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies of Kern County
Bakersfield, CA

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