Section 123366 Of Article 3. Breast Feeding From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 106. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 3.
123366
. (a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Hospital Infant Feeding Act.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions
shall apply:
(1) "Perinatal unit" means a maternity and newborn service of the
hospital for the provision of care during pregnancy, labor, delivery,
and postpartum and neonatal periods with appropriate staff, space,
equipment, and supplies.
(2) "Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative" means the program
sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that recognizes hospitals that offer
an optimal level of care for infant feeding.
(3) "Model Hospital Policy Recommendations" means the most
recently updated guidelines approved and published by the State
Department of Public Health entitled, "Providing Breastfeeding
Support: Model Hospital Policy Recommendations."
(c) All general acute care hospitals and special hospitals, as
defined in subdivisions (a) and (f) of Section 1250, that have a
perinatal unit shall have an infant-feeding policy. The
infant-feeding policy shall promote breastfeeding, utilizing guidance
provided by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative or the State
Department of Public Health Model Hospital Policy Recommendations.
The infant-feeding policy may include guidance on formula
supplementation or bottlefeeding, if preferred by the mother or when
exclusive breastfeeding is contraindicated for the mother or infant.
(d) The infant-feeding policy shall be routinely communicated to
perinatal unit staff, beginning with hospital orientation, and shall
be clearly posted in the perinatal unit or on the hospital or health
system Internet Web site.
(e) The infant-feeding policy shall apply to all infants in a
perinatal unit.
(f) This section shall become operative January 1, 2014.