SENATE, No. 1226

By Mr. Barrios, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1226) of Jarrett T. Barrios for legislation to provide for the registration of lactation consultants. Public Health

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

In the Year Two Thousand and Five.

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REGISTRATION OF LACTATION CONSULTANTS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1:    Chapter 13, Section 11A line of the General Laws shall be hereby amended by striking “eleven members” and inserting it with “thirteen members” and is further amended by adding after the word “twenty three B,” in line 14, the following words:- “two such members shall be lactation consultants who have been certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE).”

SECTION 2:  The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting in Chapter 112 the following Sections:

227A: “Lactation consulting”, an allied health profession that utilizes the application of scientific principles and a multidisciplinary body of evidence for the evaluation, problem identification, treatment, education, and consultation to provide lactation care and services to childbearing families. Lactation consulting includes but is not limited to: (1) lactation assessment through the systematic collection of subjective and objective data, (2) analysis of data and creation of a plan of care, (3) implementation of lactation care plan with demonstration and instruction to parents, and communication to primary health care provider, (4) evaluation of outcomes, (5) provision of lactation education to parents and health care providers, (6) recommendation and use of assistive devices.

227B The Board of Allied Health Professionals shall establish licensing procedures for lactation consultants.  Said licensing procedures shall include but not be limited to the certifying procedures established by the IBLCE.  An applicant for licensure as a lactation consultant shall have:

(a) successfully met educational requirements approved by the board, including education specific to lactation

(b) successfully completed the clinical practice requirements set forth by the board

(c) successfully passed an examination approved by the board for licensure as a lactation consultant. Such examination shall be written and shall test the applicants' knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences related to the theory and practice of lactation consulting, including the applicant's professional skills and judgment in the utilization of lactation consultant techniques and methods.