Hi All,

Our state ILCA affiliate, OLCA (Ohio Lactation Consultant Association) has
been offering 2-3 hours of continuing education at every meeting for at
least 9 years. We invite local LCs who have in-depth experience on a topic;
professionals in other fields; BF-friendly doctors in our communities; panel
discussions of common problems where we debate pros and cons of various
remedies; etc.  The regular meetings are held 4-6 times a year on a
Saturday: a 2-hour business meeting in the morning, then a break for lunch
and the education in the afternoon from 1-3 pm. Our members get free CERPS;
non-members pay a nominal fee. We tape-record all the education sessions and
usually have a copy of the accompanying handouts in the lending library. I
think that this consistent commitment to high-quality education over the
years has been the #1 factor in developing a strong, well-informed
association and membership. Much of the credit should go to Alison
Hazelbaker, OLCA president from 1990-1992, for the organization's commitment
to continuing education. At $25 a year, membership is a true bargain.

By the way, Ohio is a sorta square-shaped state. We've found that meeting in
the center city (Columbus) has generally worked better than moving the
meetings around to the corners of  the state. A central location means
nobody has to drive more than 3 hours to the meeting, and most are within a
2-hour drive.

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
Dayton, OH USA
http://www.bflrc.com