PHILADELPHIA (Aug. 2, 2012) – On August 2, the Philadelphia Health Commissioner and Deputy Mayor for Health and Opportunity Donald Fr. Schwarz, M.D., MPH, awarded Saint Joseph’s University a "Breastfeeding Friendly Employer" certificate for its initiatives in support of nursing mothers. Alex Skolnick, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology who served on a committee responsible for the introduction of a lactation room on campus, accepted the award of behalf of the University.

In response to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, Saint Joseph's introduced a fully-operational lactation room last fall. The lactation room ensures female employees are given the ability to continue to express breast milk for their baby while on campus and separated from their child, in a private, non-bathroom area for up to one year after giving birth.

Nancy DuBoise, manager of employee relations at SJU; Marian Courtney, assistant to the University librarian; and Skolnick worked with Saint Joseph's University's Commission on the Status of Women, Get Healthy Philadelphia and the local nonprofit Maternity Care Coalition on the lactation room and its policies.

At the time Saint Joseph’s introduced the lactation room in 2011, it was only the second university in Philadelphia to establish a lactation room, and the first to be established under the "Get Healthy Philadelphia" initiative.

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