Find past information published regarding licensure on this page.
This is the press release that SELCA published with the passage of the bill:
We are excited that licensure for IBCLCs has come to Georgia! Now is the time to get involved. SELCA, as your professional organization, is leading the way and we need your support and membership.
The Southeastern Lactation Consultant Association (SELCA) is pleased and proud to announce that Georgia is forefront in the nation in protecting the health of mothers and babies, by officially being the 2nd State to pass licensure of the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC®). This historic event would not have happened without the hard work of the Georgia licensure committee, spearheaded by President Leah Aldridge, JD, IBCLC and Past President and a current Board Member Merrilee Gober, JD, RN of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA). We are grateful for their support and leadership alongside SELCA in this effort. We appreciate the many Georgia healthcare leaders and community organizations who recognized the value of this initiative and partnered with HMHBGA.
Congratulations to our forward-thinking Governor Nathan Deal, bill sponsor Representative Sharon Cooper, and the wonderful legislators in the great State of Georgia for this bipartisan effort, effective July 1, 2016.
We are grateful that our leaders recognized the value of the IBCLC and answered the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, which recognize IBCLCs as the only health care professionals certified in lactation care and recommends their licensure.
This legislation will help pave the way for Georgia families to have greater access to IBCLCs and provides for growth of the profession dedicated to the health of our mothers and babies.
We at SELCA support and appreciate everyone who aids and advances breastfeeding, and we welcome them to join our membership. Licensure of lactation consultants will not prevent qualified professionals or volunteers from performing functions consistent with the accepted standards of their respective professions.
Transitioning to licensure is a process that, like anything new, is likely to bring questions. SELCA stands ready to help and we encourage IBCLCs to join us as their professional association. We offer free continuing education for our membership and will move diligently to make this licensure process go smoothly. Keep informed with licensure FAQs and the text of the law, along with other updates on our Facebook page, website and at meetings. Information about joining our group and how to contact us is available on our meeting page. Resumes of those interested in serving on the Advisory Group, as collected during a recent SELCA call to action, have been forwarded to the Secretary of State’s office for consideration, and we await next steps.
Georgia has taken an important step for the solid foundation of optimal health and wellness through ensuring support for breastfeeding families, and we are ready to move forward together.