Nonprofit Honors Breastfeeding-Friendly Companies

Individuals, companies and organizations that support breastfeeding women and their families were honored at an awards ceremony Tuesday, May 9, by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB). The ceremony, which took place at the US House of Representatives Cannon House Office Building, also celebrated HMHB's 10 years of service to the maternal and child health field.

HMHB serves to raise public awareness of the basic components of prenatal care, including not drinking and not smoking and the promotion of breastfeeding. The coalition has developed educational materials and resources for health care providers to help them better serve low income and underserved communities.

The highlight of the ceremony, "Promoting the Best from the Beginning," was the presentation of the Special Impact Award to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) for her efforts to prohibit breastfeeding discrimination and offer incentives to companies that establish breastfeeding-friendly policies.

In order to protect breastfeeding women from job termination or workplace discrimination, Congresswoman Maloney recently introduced the Pregnancy Discrimination Act Amendments of 2000.

According to HMHB Executive Director Anita Boles, the number of working mothers of infants and toddlers is the fastest growing segment of today's work force. Many employers are making it easier for women to return to work while continuing to breastfeed, because it makes good business sense.

"Many studies have shown that breastfeeding is the best nutritional choice for babies. More and more women are choosing to nurse their children long after they return from maternity leave," Boles said. "Worksite support is critical for breastfeeding moms and employer-sponsored lactation programs provide women with the opportunity to continue their commitment for as long as they choose."

As part of the celebration, the following nine companies were recognized for their support of breastfeeding moms:

Aetna, Inc. - Hartford, CT
CIGNA Corp. - Philadelphia
Eastman Kodak - Rochester, NY
Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii - Honolulu
Lincoln Financial Group - Philadelphia
Los Angeles Department of Water of Power - Los Angeles
Patagonia - Ventura, CA
PricewaterhouseCoopers - New York

The HMHB also awarded the following programs and individuals for exemplary service to women and their families:

Special Impact Awards
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Best Start Social Marketing, Inc.

National Impact Award
La Leche League International

State Impact Award
Counseling Women Who Smoke Program (Raleigh , NC)

Community Impact Award
Great Brook Valley Health Center (Worcester, MA)