2017 Workplace Breastfeeding Award Recipients

In celebration of National Breastfeeding Month, The Breastfeeding Coalition of Snohomish County recognized several companies as Breastfeeding Friendly Employers in Snohomish County. The Coalition conducted a survey this spring asking employees throughout Snohomish County how their employer supports continued breastfeeding when they returned to work after having a baby.

We created four levels of recognition (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) to acknowledge companies at various stages of policy development. Some companies were just learning about this need from their employees and were responding (Bronze), others had been addressing it for some time and had a robust program (Platinum). The companies recognized had all discovered that having a program makes good business sense.

The following companies received awards:

Bronze:
Snohomish Health District
Providence Hospital

Silver:
Pregnancy Aid-WIC
The Boeing Company
Molina Healthcare
Be Well Massage
Monroe Goodwill

It is important to note that a company may have a program that could be eligible for recognition at a higher level. During the pilot year we surveyed employees to learn about what employers are doing. This result reflects employees’ understanding of their employer’s efforts. We did not reach out to businesses directly. Going forward, The Coalition hopes to begin a dialogue with employers, learning more about what they provide, how it is communicated to employees, and how it has impacted their return on investment.

These organizations will also be recognized at The Coalition’s annual New Horizons in Lactation conference in the fall. The topic is Making It Work: Breastfeeding and the Workplace. The conference is sponsored by Pregnancy-Aid WIC and Providence Pavilion for Women and Children.

The Coalition’s goal is to raise awareness among employers that having a Breastfeeding Friendly culture is good for employees, and good for business. We support employers in their efforts to develop a policy and culture that reflects their employee’s needs, and sound business practice, and we look forward to partnering with these, and other interested companies in the future.

More information on the program is available on the coalition website at breastfeedingsnoco.org/programs