Effective practices for meeting and exceeding the health care reform law's requirements to provide a lactation room for breastfeeding mothers were shared by Cathy Carothers, co-director of the not-for-profit Every Mother Inc. and president of the International Lactation Consultant Association, speaking at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2012 Employment Law & Legislative Conference, held March 4-7 in Washington, D.C.
Section 4207 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires that employers provide a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the childs birth each time such employee has need to express milk. Moreover, employers must provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public for nursing employees. The requirement became effective in March 2010. Employers with less than 50 employees can apply for an exemption if they can prove "undue hardship."
"Most women need two to three milk expression sessions per eight-hour period," Carothers explained. "Around 15 to 20 minutes is needed, plus time to get to the lactation room." However, "nursing needs change over time," she emphasized, and employers should provide extra time if needed.
Explaining why meeting the law's requirements, at a minimum, is in an employer's best interest, Carothers pointed to research studies showing that "lactation programs resulted in a 77 percent reduction in lost work time due to infant illness" and that "one-day absences occur twice as often for employees whose babies are not breastfed." In addition, employees of companies providing lactation support say they feel more productive and loyal to the company.
"Employee breaks are predictable. Absences are not," Carothers noted.
Compliance Steps
To make support for breastfeeding mothers part of the company culture, Carothers recommended convening a task force to explore employee needs. The task force should include:
Current and previous pregnant/breastfeeding employees.
Lactation consultants in the community.
Representative supervisors and co-workers.
Facilities managers.
Public relations, communications and marketing staff.
Welness program staff.
The task force should develop a plan to meet employee needs, examine company policies, identify potential lactation room space, provide training for supervisors and co-workers and "promote the program widely," Carothers advised.
Appropriate Amenities
The lactation room should be large enough for a chair with a flat surface for the pump, she noted. An electrical outlet is preferred. A lock is not required, but privacy must be ensured. Although they are not required by law, she recommended the room contain:
A breast pump (so employees neednt tote their own back and forth).
A sink.
Anti-microbial wipes.
A small refrigerator.
Artwork.
A bulletin board for baby photos.
For additional resources and information, Carothers suggested the websites of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, with which HHS has contracted to enhance the coordination and reach of the nursing mothers provision of the PPACA.
Internet pornography could conceivably become a thing of the past if Rick Santorum is elected president.
The unapologetic social conservative, currently in second place behind Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination, has promised to crack down on the distribution of pornography if elected.
Santorum says in a statement posted to his website, "The Obama Administration has turned a blind eye to those who wish to preserve our culture from the scourge of pornography and has refused to enforce obscenity laws."
If elected, he promises to "vigorously" enforce laws that "prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier." Considering all the other problems our country is facing, more regulation isn't something it needs. This is also something that will turn off independents and small "l" libertarians (like me) that still vote with the Republican party. More proof of why Santorum will NEVER win if he is the Republican candidate. Mr. Santorum complains because the MSM won't let him talk about the economy, but when he gets a chance to talk he talks about sex instead. Lost me right there, buddy. ABS="Anybody but Santorum." Unless it's B.O., of course. But it's not gonna be Santorum, specifically for stupidities like this.
#1
Good job, Rick. Another distraction from Obama's handling of the economy. Flailing around to try and build a social-con base while alienating or de-energizing independents. Putting his own lame self-interest above beating Obama.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/15/2012 14:02 Comments ||
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#2
Santorum's only value is to prevent Mitt from getting a majority of delegates.
#4
#3 Santorum is not a Republican. He's a theocrat, a national socialist in favor of economic controls and censorship.
I think you exaggerate way too much; and besides, even if that were the case, it puts him at the same point regarding socialism as Obama and Romney and their respective -Cares.
#6
Internet pr0n? Really? Great. He can be the local preacher. As the current occupant of the White House should have been. Meanwhile, where might we find someone with presidential priorities?
#7
Yes, stupid. You're never going to get rid of it. However, you can put a crimp in it by removing any and all copyright protection. Bringing new meaning to 'free' speech.
#10
I think that it is pretty well accepted within the IT industry that a very high percentage of all innovations in on-line technology originate in the pRon industry.
I recall reading something once that claimed that the same thing applied to printing technology, as in: Gutenburg created moveable print, and started cranking out bibles. That technology was then rapidly developed and improved upon - by the pRon industry, such as it then was.
#11
With this sideshow going on, and the rest of the Pub candidates beating on each other instaed of Bambi, i have almost given up on Bambi having to move out of the WH for another 4 years. But i can only hope that the House and Senate races put enough R's in the seats to stop Shiiteforbrainz from doing any more damage. Maybe then some adult will come along and show them all how to play nice.
#2
If you shut down refining capacity, the amount of oil in the pipeline won't have an effect. Added to the mix is that actual consumption is already down. It's not scarcity. It's inflation. The fools can't comprehend that dumping trillions in 'stimulus' or 'qualitative easing' eventually catches up with the medium of transfer in the supply and demand model.
#3
yeah let's use this emergency contingency oil to kick the can down the road again instead of dealing with not drilling and becoming self reliant. So when our military needs it for our defense we won't have any, or a very limited supply.
Obama doesn't consider our America first and foremost, this is very chilling to me.
I want to be reassured that Obama wants to do the right thing for America, I'm not so sure he does at this point. Obama seems to be making all the wrong choices at every turn. He is after all our commander in chief right? He sure isn't acting like it.
Posted by: Jan ||
03/15/2012 10:39 Comments ||
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#4
His entire Presidency is about him and his re-election--not much to do with the country. In other words much ado about nothing.
#5
It's a win-win for Obozo. If he loses, then the Trunks have to refill it, driving up oil prices. If he wins, prices keep going up, which is what he wants.
#7
If we had a Pub party that wasn't stupid, it would be pointing out today that Champ has already jumped the shark on this issue.
After all, he's acknowledging that supply matters.
If pumping oil from the Strategic Reserve is a good idea, isn't it a good idea to increase supply by drilling in ANWR? Drilling off-shore? Building pipelines? Building and expanding refineries?
But again, we need a group other than the Stupid Party to point this out.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/15/2012 12:57 Comments ||
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#8
The SPR is equivalent to one-month of US consumption. It won't make a difference in his election bid. On the other hand, its existence and fullness would (will) make a difference when the Persian War starts.
#9
Just in: Oil prices dropped quickly Thursday on a news report that Britain and the United States would cooperate on a release of crude oil from strategic reserves, but the Obama administration said the report was not accurate and played down the talks with British officials.
#10
SPR is equivalent to about 74 days of US imports minus exports, not consumption - US still produces a fair amount for its own consumption. From EIA: In 2010 the United States imported 11.8 million barrels per day (MMbd) of crude oil and refined petroleum products. We also exported 2.3 MMbd of crude oil and petroleum products during 2010, so our net imports (imports minus exports) equaled 9.4 MMbd.
From the WaPo article cited earlier: The United States maintains a 696 million barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a handful of giant salt caverns along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Days of SPR reserve = 696/9.4
#11
When Bush was president Obama blamed him for high oil. Then recently it's "President has no control over oil" now this which seems to prove that he knows it does or he's willing to waste a strategic asset for partisan points.
I want to hear an apology from Obama because he lied at least once in those flip-flops.
#17
Champs plummeting approval number are a National Emergency, hence tapping the reserve. What could be worse, destitute Americans with no oil and no ability to run the economy in the event of a Middle East War, and out militay severely constrained or Obama not getting re-elected. Gee, this shouldn't be hard, if you a narcissistic clown with no sense of duty.
Anyone....Anyone....
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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Internet pornography could conceivably become a thing of the past if Rick Santorum is elected president.
