The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health has announced the launch of a new national online searchable resource which features The University of North Carolina.
The resource, Supporting Nursing Moms at Work: Employer Solutions, includes photos and stories of 200 businesses in 29 U.S. states, representing 22 industry sectors.
The new resources are designed to assist businesses with implementing Section 4207 of the Affordable Care Act. Section 4207, which amends Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, requires that employers of hourly workers provide a private, non-restroom space and reasonable time for employees who breastfeed to express milk while they are at work.
According to Dr. Nancy C. Lee, deputy assistant secretary for health – women’s health and director of the Office on Women’s Health, the project is designed to give employers a wide range of options and solutions.
“We know that many employers want to support their employees, not just because it’s required, but because they know it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “Today, more than 75 percent of all new mothers begin breastfeeding, and many want to continue when they return to work. However, businesses have told us they need solutions, especially in more challenging worksite settings, such as restaurants, retail stores, and manufacturing plants. We built this resource to provide practical solutions from their peers – businesses across the country that have found the solutions to make this work.”
The University of North Carolina and its Gillings School of Global Public Health have developed services to support nursing women.
The new online resource launched at the SHRM Conference in Orlando, FL, on June 23.
A full list of lactation rooms available at UNC is available online.
Read more: http://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/hhs-launches-web-resource-supporting-nursing-moms-at-work/