I have received information from Debra Kurtz at Medela that Medela is
planning on producing and airing a short public service message on Wed. Oc.
21, on CBS affiliates. This is in response to the Chicago Hope episode in
which a baby will die of dehydration related to breastfeeding.  This is the
message that I received:

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Chicago Hope - Background
As you have probably heard, a top-rated television show, Chicago Hope is
dramatizing a fictional death of a breastfed baby due to dehydration.  The
episode is scheduled to air on Wednesday evening, October 21 on CBS.

Video News Release - 

Medela feels that the best way to spread the real story on breastfeeding
utilizes the TV news shows, which air after Chicago Hope.  We are concerned
that parents will feel anxiety after viewing Chicago Hope, and we want to
clear the air surrounding breastfeeding.

We are in the process of making a Video News Release, which we will send to
all CBS news stations.  TV news shows sometimes use commercially-supplied
VNR's for valuable information, which is relevant to their viewing public.
We are hopeful that we can persuade some stations to air our VNR.  Our 2
minute spot will feature:

¨ The benefits of breastfeeding
¨ How to know if baby is getting enough
¨ How to get breastfeeding help

Dr. Larry Gartner, Professor Emeritus of the University of Chicago will be
our spokesperson on the VNR.  Wellstart International is providing the
filming location, technical support,  and moms/babies.

The following script for the VNR was truly a collaborative effort between
many members of the breastfeeding community.  

Next Steps:
· The VNR will be filmed at Wellstart's location on Wednesday, October 14.
· The VNR will be fed via satellite to the CBS affiliates on October 20-21.
In the top metro markets, our PR firm will pitch the VNR to the news
stations, but we need the help of the breastfeeding community to really make
this work. 
· Medela will try to obtain the contact names and phone numbers of all the
CBS affiliates before the Chicago Hope episode.    We suggest that
breastfeeding advocates contact their local CBS affiliate and encourage them
to air our VNR following Chicago Hope.  This is also a great opportunity for
breastfeeding professionals to position themselves as local resources to the
TV stations.


My appreciation to all for your support.  I believe we have a great
opportunity to spread the word about breastfeeding.

Debra Kurtz
Medela, Inc.
Director of Marketing