Verizon honored as breastfeeding friendly workplace
BEDMINSTER, N.J., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ — In a continuing effort to honor
corporations that support employees who are breastfeeding mothers, the New
Jersey Breastfeeding Task Force has selected Verizon Wireless to receive the
first Breastfeeding Friendly Award of 2006. Dr. Amy Kotler, chair of the
American Academy of Pediatrics New Jersey Chapter Breastfeeding and Nutrition
Committee, member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and mother of two
breastfed children, presented the award to Verizon Wireless today at its
corporate headquarters in Bedminster, NJ.
Verizon Wireless was recognized for its innovative programs that
facilitate breastfeeding, including the availability of lactation rooms at all
major corporate facilities from coast to coast. The company currently
provides lactation rooms at eight locations throughout the Northeast, seven
throughout the South Area, four in the Midwest and four throughout the West
Area. These rooms enable breastfeeding mothers to pump during work breaks.
The lactation rooms are just one of the many benefits Verizon Wireless
offers to working mothers. Verizon Wireless’s company-wide Enhanced Healthy
Babies Program, which provides incentives to employees who adopt healthy
actions during and after their pregnancy, reimburses employees for lactation
consultant services, the purchase or rental of a breast pump, and
Lamaze/Birthing classes. In addition, Verizon Wireless conducts online
Webinars featuring important information regarding pregnancy and the benefits
of breastfeeding.
Ellen Maughan, president of the New Jersey Breastfeeding Task Force,
praises Verizon Wireless for the creation of the lactation room as a model for
other corporations. “We are delighted to honor Verizon Wireless for its
comprehensive approach to supporting breastfeeding employees. Helping mothers
to continue breastfeeding is good for both the employee’s family, in that it
helps them to enjoy the abundant health and emotional benefits of
breastfeeding for mother and child, and for employers, because it helps them
retain valuable employees.”