A new study from Public Citizen and the Ban the Bags campaign shows that
the majority of the top ranked hospitals in the U.S. News and World
Report’s “Best Hospitals” no longer distribute gift bags from infant
formula manufacturers. See the press release at
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=4001. The
abandonment of this marketing practice at top hospitals can serve as an
example of how ending this marketing tactic shows a dedication to the
health and safety of a hospital’s littlest patients. Sixty-seven percent of
top hospitals in gynecology (30 out of 45) reported not distributing
formula company sponsored discharge bags, formula samples or other formula
company promotional materials to mothers in their maternity units.  Eleven
percent of hospitals in gynecology (5 of 45) still distribute formula
company-sponsored materials, and a handful of hospitals did not respond to
the survey. If your hospital is still engaged in this detrimental practice
it’s time to ask why a health institution persists in endorsing and
marketing potentially hazardous brand name products to its vulnerable
patients. The entire study can be found at
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Best-Hospitals-End-Infant-Formula-Marketing-to-Support-Breastfeeding-Report.pdf
.


Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC

Weston, MA

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