HI Marsha

I'd love to get some Australian Hospitals on to this and your "Ban the Bags" 
article is a very good start. Any chance you could add "US" to the $ figures 
so it can be read universally across the world??

cheers
Del
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Del Smith, IBCLC.
Dip. Teach, B.Ed (Secondary).
Voluntary Breastfeeding Counsellor, Australian Breastfeeding Association 
www.breastfeeding.asn.au
Married to Kevin and Mum to two gorgeous boys Courtney '96 and Dylan '99
08 9414 5368
0413 383 073
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 4:21 AM
Subject: Questions on banning the bags


> What we found out from many people whose hospitals have eliminated the 
> bags, was that it was not necessarily the contents of the bags?that 
> persuaded administration to stop distributing them, nor was it the data 
> that associated diminished exclusive breastfeeding and early weaning with 
> the bags. What got their attention was that the hospital was being used by 
> pharmaceutical companies to peddle products to vulnerable patients. It 
> became an ethical issue of formula endorsement?and one of conflict of 
> interest. Bag distribution has only one purpose, which is to create new 
> customers. Some hospitals decided that they were not in the business to 
> act as marketing reps for commercial entities. It went against their 
> mission statement and they determined that hospital-based marketing was 
> unethical.
>
> Hospitals are responsible and accountable to their patients to deliver 
> care that does not encourage poor health outcomes following discharge. You 
> can use the handout I created at the Ban the Bags website at 
> http://banthebags.org/?p=48#more-48?to help your CEO understand this in 
> more detail.
>
> Throw out the remnants of the bags that you opened. The stuff is not free. 
> Mothers who pay inflated prices for formula pay for those bags. Every?bag 
> that is distributed takes money out of the pockets of families to pay for 
> the marketing machine that has painted a target on the backs of pregnant 
> women.
>
> Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
> Weston, MA

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