whoa, is this for real? Dr Newman's BF clinic closing?

[she]

just got this email forward -

October 11, 2005

*

Toronto breastfeeding clinic faces closure

*

North York General Hospital, one of Torontoís largest health facilities, is closing its breastfeeding clinic.*For years, the clinic has been run by Canadaís pre-eminent breastfeeding expert, Dr. Jack Newman, with Dr. Glen Berall and Toronto Lactation Consultant Edith Kernerman.*This clinic is very important because in addition to the dozens of breastfeeding mothers it helps every week, it*also hosts many volunteers and observers, such as medical students, doctors, and aspiring lactation consultants.*In this way, the clinic has helped to spread proper breastfeeding practices through not only North York, but the wider medical community as well.

*

The administration at the hospital says it has decided to eliminate the clinic because space is at a premium and they cannot afford to house any program that does not directly involve hospital staff.*Unfortunately, it is difficult to see how this decision will not have an adverse effect on the health of the mothers and infants in the Greater Toronto Area, and thus violate the mandate of this public health facility.*The closure is all the more distressing because there are now rumours that similar clinics around the Toronto area will also be shut down.*

is this right?

[Love my 2]

I hadn't heard this. what a shame

[njeb]

That is just horrible!!
Wonder if the formula companies had anything to do with this?

[mama24-7]

once again, breastfeeding produces very little revenue, so it's just not worth it, IMHO.

Sus

[my2girlsmama]

Hey *she* , how ya doing girl? I never did make the meeting last week..........sigh.


Anyhow yes apparently it is true. Janice knows more...........we can send letters to stop it. It was the hospital's decision to *better use* the area the clinic is being used in, for their actual *staff* as opposed to how it is now.

[she]

doing alright, doing ok... tired, but what else is new, right? :LOL

the meeting was alright, reg leader was sick so we had a sub from the mountain. Lady came who was visiting from Ottawa, she was nice (and crunchy), 2 kids - 2 yrs and 4 mo and she ECs the 4 mo (and may have had an UC with him as well, didn't get that whole story, but very interesting). Dd stayed home with DH, which turned out to be pretty hard for him. She's a pretty easy going (tho strong willed) kid, but she's a bear around bedtime without (and sometimes with) me. oh well... they survived...

I figured it pretty much was a space/priority issue, but I'm really surprised it just can't simply be moved if that's the case. Perhaps to one of the university hospitals? Like Mac! oh, that'd be funny!
Sure that would be a financial strain to move, but I can't imagine NOT continuing the clinic... oh, my poor idealist heart just can't bare the thought

[beaches1098]

:

[my2girlsmama]

Originally Posted by she

doing alright, doing ok... tired, but what else is new, right? :LOL

the meeting was alright, reg leader was sick so we had a sub from the mountain. Lady came who was visiting from Ottawa, she was nice (and crunchy), 2 kids - 2 yrs and 4 mo and she ECs the 4 mo (and may have had an UC with him as well, didn't get that whole story, but very interesting). Dd stayed home with DH, which turned out to be pretty hard for him. She's a pretty easy going (tho strong willed) kid, but she's a bear around bedtime without (and sometimes with) me. oh well... they survived...

LOL Annette called me and I told her dh was on shifts and I was exhausted...I'll make the next one. My oldest wants to come to babysite the babies....teehee!

I figured it pretty much was a space/priority issue, but I'm really surprised it just can't simply be moved if that's the case. Perhaps to one of the university hospitals? Like Mac! oh, that'd be funny!
Sure that would be a financial strain to move, but I can't imagine NOT continuing the clinic... oh, my poor idealist heart just can't bare the thought

Mac is quite the idealist thought. Seeing as they are very un-baby-friendly with regards to BF I highly doubt they'd want the clinic there sadly..........Joe's could so it as they are Baby friendly techinically but they have Bana clinic right?

Sigh..........Dr. Jack needs space...I can't deny if a clinic of his moved westward from TO I'd be thrilled.....

[she]

I figured Mac was a big stretch, but to be associated with one of the biggest teaching hospitals in the country and get all those new doctors a proper BF education, man, what that would do for Canadian medicine! The thought makes me tingle :LOL

Is a move a possibility? Or is it close or stay open? If he can move, westward only makes sense, urban spread and all. I'm sure somewhere on the GO line there's a hospital with the room...

[my2girlsmama]

Originally Posted by she

I figured Mac was a big stretch, but to be associated with one of the biggest teaching hospitals in the country and get all those new doctors a proper BF education, man, what that would do for Canadian medicine! The thought makes me tingle :LOL

Is a move a possibility? Or is it close or stay open? If he can move, westward only makes sense, urban spread and all. I'm sure somewhere on the GO line there's a hospital with the room...

Me too....Mac needs help in the area of bf support..........


Not sure what will happen....it may stay who knows? But from that info it looked like hospital protocol/bs would win.

[Janice in Canada]

This information originated from INFACT Canada, of which Dr. Newman is a director and he deals with them closely. So it is true. Whether it means he clinic may just be moved elsewhere or if he still has other clinics elsewhere I don't know.

From what I understand - Dr newman explained to me that this (the issue of closure of bfing clinics, and cut back of services in Ontario) is an Ontario issue.
He says it seems at least partially related to a new funding system for hospitals in Ontario. The idea is a good one, in theory, at least the way it was explained to him. In the past, if a hospital went into debt, the province would bail them out. If a hospital was under budget, the province would take away the surplus. What they want to do now, instead of penalizing the hospitals that had good financial management, is let them keep the surplus, but not cover deficits. So hospitals are being forced to cut programmes. The easiest programmes to cut, of course, are related to mother and child programmes. Nobody cares about mothers and babies, and breastfeeding even less, says Dr. Newman.

He's heard that St. Michael's, Oshawa, Sarnia, are closed. North York are to be closed. Ajax Pickering, Scarborough Centenary, Peterborough under threat. There could be multiple others, and but he really doesn't know enough about any of the situations except St. Michael's and North York.

Janice

[my2girlsmama]

Originally Posted by Janice in Canada

He's heard that St. Michael's, Oshawa, Sarnia, are closed. North York are to be closed. Ajax Pickering, Scarborough Centenary, Peterborough under threat. There could be multiple others, and but he really doesn't know enough about any of the situations except St. Michael's and North York.

Janice

: The hospitals are to be closed?

[pixiexto]

This is so terribly sad. I saw Dr Newman at Toronto Western in 2002 when she was 6 wks old. He made a tremendous impact on our breastfeeding relationship (still nursing 3+yrs later).

[Janice in Canada]

NO, no, no
The breastfeeding clinics/services/ or whatever was being offered there, are to be closed. I don't know exactly what he means, but of course, not the hospitals themselves.

Janice

[CarolynnMarilynn]

Just a follow-up. Jack will still be doing clinic in downtown Toronto at the Stress Clinic, and is coming to our midwifery clinic in December to try out using our space. We are in Scarborough, on the bus line, near GO, and on the highway. It's more east that where he and Edith are now, but at least its GTA. We are thrilled, of course, that they are coming and hope that it works out. They'd make great tenants!