In Savannah, Georgia, Healthy Savannah has teamed up with Georgia Southern University (GSU) to provide welcoming spaces for breastfeeding or pumping mothers.
GSU has established three lactation rooms on their Armstrong campus and four on their Statesboro campus. These rooms offer privacy and are equipped with comfortable seating, a sink, and electrical outlets. Some locations also feature nearby or in-room fridges or microwaves for storing milk.
“Our goal is to ensure that no one has to choose between work or classes and the need to pump,” said Nandi Marshall, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Georgia Southern’s College of Public Health. “We aim to support the success of our students, faculty, and staff while enhancing their quality of life.”
The university also provides resources to help support those who are breastfeeding. They provide information about how to breastfeed and offer support, as they said it can be a difficult journey while balancing everything else in life.
“Breastfeeding is natural and it’s not easy,” Marshall said. “So really providing that education and providing resources to support people really helps folks along their journey, helping them meet their breastfeeding goals.”
Organizers of Healthy Savannah said the instillation of these spaces with the Pump Act, which requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide the time and space needed for one to breastfeed, allowing mothers to have a safe space wherever they go.
Healthy Savannah also said that this project is just the beginning as the hope to create more lactation spaces throughout other universities and businesses.
