CNN: Despite moves to increase supply, families are still feeling the pain of the baby formula shortage
By Brenda Goodman
Parents and caregivers continue to feel the pain of store shelves that are cleaned out of baby formula, and many are turning to hospitals and community organizations for help.
"There is a lot of panic," said Jamie Lackey, founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Helping Mamas in Norcross, Georgia, which helps low-income families find baby supplies.
"We had a mom come through the distribution site the other day -- she had gone on to 15 different stores with her child in the car and could not find a single can of formula," Lackey told CNN's Christi Paul on "New Day Weekend."
Some children's hospitals even say they have even noticed an increase in calls from worried parents.
"Initially, this problem affected those who are on more specialized formulas or had nutritional issues," said Stephanie Seger, director of government relations at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. "Then the gap, or the emptiness on the shelves, increased to the point where it's now any formula. It's now any parent of any baby.
"You can go to any Target, Walgreens. They're just empty. I even checked Whole Foods this week to see if there was anything, and truly, just empty shelves where their product used to be," Seger says.
Sometimes, desperate parents will just call every number in the hospital's phone directory until they find someone who will listen, says Mindy Schneider, senior director of integrated inpatient care at Children's Mercy.
"I think what we're experiencing is a flood of calls," said Kristi Thaete, director of nutrition services for Children's Mercy. "They may be calling in, they may be coming to the ER, they may be being seen in clinic, or they might be being seen for something totally unrelated. But the gist is that the families can't find formula."
Information from Children's Mercy on the recall of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare