SAVANNAH, Ga. - GeorgiaChron -- (SAVANNAH, GA) In recognition of National Breastfeeding Month (https://www.usbreastfeeding.org/national-breast...) during August, local advocates are inviting organizations and businesses to pledge to support and provide breastfeeding-friendly spaces for employees and guests.

An initiative of the Georgia Department of Public Health (https://dph.georgia.gov/), the local expansion is supported by the Centers for Disease Control's Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant (https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/state-local-p...), administered by the YMCA of Coastal Georgia (https://ymcaofcoastalga.org/) and Healthy Savannah (https://healthysavannah.org/). Local advocates are also working in conjunction with the Chatham County Health Department (https://coastalhealthdistrict.org/counties/chat...), Georgia Southern University Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and Glow Lactation (https://www.glowlactation.com/).

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Tapping into the theme of National Breastfeeding Month, "Together We Do Great Things," the local organizations are focused on increasing awareness of the disparities that discourage breastfeeding by Black mothers in Chatham County (https://www.chathamcountyga.gov/) and identifying opportunities to remove those obstacles, especially in the workplace.

Georgia Code An. § 34-1-6 states an employer may provide reasonable unpaid break time each day to an employee who needs to express breast milk for her infant child and may make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location, other than a toilet stall, where the employee can express her milk in privacy.

Marshall is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Center for Public Health Practice and Research Affiliate Faculty, Department of Health Policy and Community Health, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. She is also leading the local effort to encourage Savannah businesses to adopt breastfeeding-friendly policies and environments and make them aware of REACH grant funds to help.

While there are currently a few public breastfeeding spaces such as at the Oglethorpe Mall (https://www.oglethorpemall.com/en.html) and the Pod at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (https://savannahairport.com/), Marshall and her team are seeking local businesses to tap into the program supported by the REACH grant in order to expand the adoption of a companywide policy and pledge to provide a suitable lactation space for employees. Marshall hopes that, in observance of Breastfeeding Month during August and especially in conjunction with Black Breastfeeding Week (https://blackbreastfeedingweek.org/) during the last week of the month, Chatham County companies will help lead the way in establishing practices that break through the stigmas that deter parents from breastfeeding.

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Visit https://healthysavannah.org/healthy-savannah-an... for more information about adopting a workplace policy to support breastfeeding employees or to sign the pledge if you have an existing workplace policy. For additional information on lactation resources and breastfeeding support in Chatham County, visit herohelpme.com.