I work as a hospital LC. Our facility does not rent or sell pumps nor bf supplies/equipment. Sometimes I wish we did, as I have a need for a nipple shield, e.g., or a mother of a sick or premature infant wants to hire a pump. Sometimes, I'm glad we aren't in the business because it means more distracting paperwork, bra fittings, and all the other ethical concerns we have already discussed. In fact, our facility has looked into the pump rental business and has plans to get into that business, for 2 reasons: (1) it is a service to moms and moms often request it and bemoan the fact that we do not offer it, and (2) it will likely bring in revenue. The women's center mgr has stated she plans to use the revenue for staff continuing education, as funds for that are quite limited, or not available at all. The LC in this setting would have to practice ethically and not recommend a product that was not needed, and also give options so the mom could make choices, as one poster recently said. The LC in this setting would not profit *directly* from the sales/rentals, as the LC is paid an hourly wage. However, the LC could possibly have increased job security related to the revenues. Currently, we do NOT have a sales/rental program in place. I have developed a handout explaining why I would recommend a double electric hospital-grade pump. I list what I consider to be the top brands. Periodically I change the handout so one pump/pump vendor is not named first and not the other. I list all of the places that I am aware of in the Greater New Orleans area that rents/sells pumps/products. I refer to the WIC program (USA supplemental nutrition program for lower income families) where often moms can obtain such pumps free of charge. If and when my facility gets into this business, it will make my practice easier in some ways and harder in other ways. And it will require me to examine the ethics of it all quite closely. Laurie Wheeler, IBCLC, MN, RN New Orleans Louisiana, s.e. USA _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself with MSN Messenger 6.0 -- download now! http://www.msnmessenger-download.com/tracking/reach_general *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html