There has been a "push" in our area by the formula companies to get an "in"
to promote their products at our hospital.  I'm sharing with you a letter I
wrote to the director of our OB/Gyn department in an attempt to bring this
practice to a halt.
You may copy portions of this letter or use it as a example to write your
own in a similar situation.   Its important to bring to light what is REALLY
going on, not to argue the details.

Gail Hertz, MD, IBCLC

Dear Dr.xxxx,
 The Center for Women's Health here at Hershey Medical Center has been an
important source of support for the women of central Pennsylvania, and has
been an especially valuable resource in its support of breastfeeding
mothers.  The creation of a volunteer group for mother-to-mother support was
a wonderful idea and has been well received by the new mothers.  I am
confident that this will contribute to a longer duration of breastfeeding
and its benefits for these moms and babies as this type of intervention has
done historically in the literature.  The Center for Women's Health is to be
commended for its efforts.

 It  was with much dismay that I heard that the Center for Women's Health is
considering distributing to all expectant mothers at their prenatal visits a
packet from the formula companies.  With our responsibility to promote the
healthiest lifestyles for our patients, whether it is exercise, proper
nutrition, non-smoking or breastfeeding, these "handouts" seem to undercut
our mission.

 These packets are used as a marketing tool by the formula companies to send
formula samples to breastfeeding mothers in the hopes of having the mothers
supplement or replace breastfeedings  with their brand of artificial baby
milk.  This has been proven in the literature time and again to decrease the
duration of breastfeeding, which is of course why these formula companies
spend so much money and "give away" promotional items to achieve this goal.

 These companies frequently promote their goods to unsuspecting health care
professionals as a matter of "encouraging choice" or being a "service to the
new moms".  In terms of "choice" [which is the route the cigarette
manufacturers have gone in promoting their product]  it is our
responsibility to support good choices in lifestyle and educate regarding
less than optimum choices (like cigarette smoking, for example).
Distributing these packets for the formula companies does neither of these
things.   In terms of being a "service to the new moms", it clearly is not a
service to a new mother to facilitate a connection by which her best efforts
at a breastfeeding relationship with her child will be undermined.

 Breastfeeding is without a doubt the best choice for a baby in terms of
nutrition, immunological and health benefits and  more recent studies have
shown a decrease in relative risk for certain types of childhood cancers.
Maternal health is also impacted favorably by breastfeeding with a decrease
in the risk for premenopausal breast cancer as one of the many positive
outcomes.  These benefits are duration related with longer breastfeeding
providing more protection.

 Currently, I understand that the hospital distributes coupons for "free"
baby t-shirts to the newly delivered Moms on behalf of the formula
companies.  Again, the info gotten by the formula companies in this
transaction is used to send formula to these mothers and forward the formula
companies' agenda of getting formula into the homes of the breastfeeding
moms.  I would hope that the Center for Women's Health would put an end to
this practice and that the employees of the Center will not be acting as
marketing agents for the formula companies, since by acting as their agents
we are in turn doing the health of these mothers and babies a  disservice.

 The Women's Health Center has an outstanding record of empowering women to
make healthier lifestyle choices, please don't allow reimbursement from
those with outside interests stand in the way of maintaining it's excellent
reputation.

 Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
 Gail S. Hertz, MD, IBCLC

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