Contact: Dana Silver, MD
Maryland Breastfeeding Coalition
danapeds@hotmail.com
410-601-5324
For Immediate Release
December 06, 2013

Fourth Annual Regional Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Awards Recognizes DC and Maryland Businesses


The D.C. and Maryland Breastfeeding Coalitions are pleased to announce the 2013 recipients of their Regional Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Awards. Awardees will receive this honor on December 6, 2013 during a luncheon ceremony at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. The nine businesses receiving the Regional Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Award this year are: BCS, Inc., Defense Intelligence Agency, George Washington University, MedStar St. Mary's Hospital, Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, National Public Radio, Soft and Cozy Baby, U. S. Census Bureau, and Upper Chesapeake Medical Center.

This year four previous awardees will also be receiving Special Commendations for continued efforts to provide an exceptionally supportive work environment for breastfeeding families: Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, University of Maryland Baltimore, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. These businesses have added more rooms and more services for nursing moms over and above those they already had in place.

The 2013 "CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies" points out that mothers are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. labor force. It sites several studies which indicate that support for lactation at work benefits not only families but employers as well by improving productivity; enhancing the employer's public image; and decreasing absenteeism, health care costs, and employee turnover.

Support for breastfeeding mothers is part of the 2010 Affordable Health Care Act, which stipulates that employers must provide reasonable break time and a space, other than a bathroom, for a mother to express her milk. "The purpose of the Regional Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Awards", says Dr. Sahira Long, President of the DC Breastfeeding Coalition, "is to highlight the varying and creative ways in which businesses can support women in the workplace."

"Each one of the businesses receiving a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Award or a Special Commendations have established workplace lactation programs, which serve their own unique needs." says Dr. Dana Silver, Past President of the Maryland Breastfeeding Coalition, "They are shining examples for this region and we are proud to honor them."

Businesses that met the criteria for workplace lactation support as outlined in HRSA's The Business Case for Breastfeeding, 2010 Affordable Health Care Act, and Healthy People 2020 goals could be nominated. Companies were judged based on their size and the accommodations they provided to breastfeeding employees (breastfeeding support and education, and the time and space for mothers to breastfeed and/or pump breast milk in the workplace). Based on the number of amenities and processes to support breastfeeding, businesses received the awards at Gold, Silver or Bronze level.

2013 Winners



For more information on the Regional Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Awards program, contact Dr. Dana Silver (president@mdbfc.org or 410-601-5324) or Dr. Sahira Long (slong@dcbfc.org). Please also see webstories and photos of the Workplace Award recipients on our websites, www.dcbfc.org and www.mdbfc.org