HB4968 EnrolledLRB097 18751 DRJ 65112 b

1    AN ACT concerning health.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Hospital Infant Feeding Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative" means the voluntary
8program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and
9the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that recognizes
10hospitals that meet certain evaluation criteria regarding the
11promotion of breastfeeding.
12    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
13    "Hospital" has the meaning ascribed to that term in the
14Hospital Licensing Act.
15    "Infant nutrition resource" means breastfeeding education
16and infant formula safety and preparation.
 
17    Section 10. Infant feeding policy required.
18    (a) Every hospital that provides birthing services must
19adopt an infant feeding policy that promotes breastfeeding. In
20developing the policy, a hospital shall consider guidance
21provided by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
22    (b) An infant feeding policy adopted under this Section

 

 

HB4968 Enrolled- 2 -LRB097 18751 DRJ 65112 b

1shall include guidance on the use of formula (i) for medically
2necessary supplementation, (ii) if preferred by the mother, or
3(iii) when exclusive breastfeeding is contraindicated for the
4mother or for the infant.
 
5    Section 15. Communication of policy. A hospital shall
6routinely communicate the infant feeding policy to staff in the
7hospital's obstetric and neonatal areas, beginning with
8hospital staff orientation. The hospital shall also ensure that
9the policy and infant nutrition resources are posted (i) in a
10conspicuous place in the hospital's obstetric or neonatal area
11or (ii) on the hospital's Internet or Intranet web site or on
12the Internet or Intranet web site of the health system of which
13the hospital is a part. The hospital shall make copies of the
14policy available to the Department upon request.
 
15    Section 20. Application of policy. A hospital's infant
16feeding policy adopted under this Act must apply to all
17mother-infant couplets in the hospital's obstetric and
18neonatal areas.
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
201, 2013.