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Journal of Human Lactation, Vol. 22, No. 1,
94-98 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0890334405284226
Breast Pump Access in the Inner City: A Hospital-Based Initiative to Provide Breast Pumps for Low-income Women
Laura Beth Chamberlain, IBCLC
Breastfeeding Center, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Marcy McMahon, RN, IBCLC
Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Barbara L. Philipp, MD, FAAP, FABM, IBCLC
Boston University School of Medicine, Breastfeeding Center, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Anne Merewood, MA, IBCLC
Boston University School of Medicine, Breastfeeding Center, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
An effective electric breast pump is an important tool for the management of breastfeeding challenges such as provision of human milk to sick or premature infants. A breast pump is also, in Western culture, critical for breastfeeding mothers who return to work. Obtaining an effective electric breast pump can be particularly difficult for uninsured or impoverished women because of the expense, complicated insurance reimbursements, and scarcity of providers that supply breast pumps to the inner-city community. To address this problem at Boston Medical Center (BMC), an inner-city hospital that serves a poor and minority urban population, members of the Breastfeeding Center worked with a local charity and local insurance companies to increase access to pumps for all women at BMC and to guarantee that every breastfeeding mother with an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit receive a double-setup electric breast pump, regardless of her insurance status or ability to pay.
Key Words: breast pump • inner city • insurance coverage
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