Riverhead, NY - April 6, 2017 - Last week, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone was joined by health officials and lactation advocates to unveil the second municipally-sponsored lactation station in Suffolk County. The new station is located at the Riverhead Suffolk County Complex on Center Drive.
County Executive Bellone also announced today that Maria Esteban, formerly of the County’s Community Relations Unit, will be assigned to the Suffolk County Department of Women’s Services to work with the Director of Women’s Services, Grace Ioannidis to oversee the ongoing implementation of future lactation stations and various department initiatives.
“These newly-created stations that are designed to serve our employees and the general public that frequents the H. Lee Dennison Building and now at the Suffolk County Complex in Riverhead,” said County Executive Steve Bellone. “Women with toddlers are the fastest growing segment of today’s labor force, and through this second opening, we want to ensure that we provide a comfortable environment for young mothers to continue to nurse their children.”
Breastfeeding offers important and wide ranging benefits for both nursing mothers and their infants. Successful breastfeeding is an essential part of a newborn’s development and Suffolk County is happy to provide a safe space for all needing this service.
The two Suffolk County lactation rooms come stocked with the necessary equipment, such as refrigeration, electrical outlets for breast pumps, and comfortable seating to make nursing and expressing milk as simple and easy as possible.
Many Suffolk County employees donated items for the lactation rooms to ensure its warm and inviting environment.
For more information on Suffolk County’s public lactation stations, log on to www.facebook.com/stevebellone, www.suffolkcountyny.gov or contact the Suffolk County Department of Women’s Services at 631-853-4738.