Lactation Spaces Available Across SUNY Plattsburgh Campus

Breast- and chest-feeding faculty, staff, students and visitors on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus can find dedicated lactation spaces for privacy and comfort thanks to a state grant facilitated by the Clinton County Department of Health.

Spaces located around campus join the lactation pod in the university’s Accessibility Resource Office in the first floor of Feinberg Library and the improved family room on the library’s second floor.

Like all things in education, the spaces started with policy.

“We didn’t have a lactation policy, and with the help of the health department, we created one,” said Allison Heard, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. She said that after Michaela Davison, coordinator of the university’s nursing simulation lab, facilitated introductions with the CCHD, they started a conversation about policy and privacy spaces on campus.

‘Lactation Friendly New York’ Grant

Abigail Marant, public health education with the CCHD, said the university’s opportunity to not only create a lactation policy but create private lactation spaces started with their being awarded a five year “Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding and Lactation Friendly New York” grant from the state Department of Health.

“Through this five-year public health initiative, we provide policy assistance, staff training and resources to establish or enhance lactation spaces, which will improve the continuity of care for breast/chest feeding in our community,” Marant said.

“We work throughout Clinton, Franklin and Essex counties and within five different sectors: Worksites, community settings, breast/chestfeeding coalitions, healthcare providers and lactation support groups.”

Heard said that by working with Human Resource Services, through which the policy resides, “I’m really proud that we were to recognize not only biological children but those who are with guardians, adoptive parents, trans and non-binary-identifying parents,” Heard said.

Sibley, ACC, Beaumont

Through creation and revision of the university’s policy collaboration, three lactation rooms were established on campus, Marant said.

Sibley 101 and the Angell College Center Meeting Room 7 were designated lactation spaces. Redcay 157 was the third space, but with Clinton Community College’s move to campus and Redcay Hall, the space was relocated to Beaumont.

In addition, Marant said what was previously called the family study room in Feinberg has been retrofitted to incorporate breast/chestfeeding.

“Although these rooms were (originally) established with employees in mind, chest/breastfeeding students had access to these spaces as well,” Marant said. As a result, SUNY Plattsburgh “expanded its efforts to provide inclusive lactation spaces for the entire community.”

The CCHD provided the university with improved resources for their community lactation space in the library and revised the lactation-friendly policy to include protections for community members, she said. 

Heard said one of the first on campus to set out looking for space was Denise Simard, dean of the School of Health and Human Services.

“She and her team were tasked with identifying spaces in Sibley Hall,” Heard said. “We also wanted space in Hawkins Hall and Redcay. All wanted space in the Angell College Center. We’re grateful to all departments that stepped up, but we’re especially grateful to anthropology which stepped in and got the room in Redcay ready for the move to Beaumont.”

The grant provided for things such as refrigerators to store milk, breast pumps and other supplies people may not have been able to afford.

“Little things are important,” Heard said. “These things tell our faculty, staff and students that yes, they belong here, they feel like they can be a student here. Changes to policy tells people they’re protected.”

A celebratory lactation space kickoff was held at each of the spaces May 6 where individuals across campus were thanked for their participation and work in making this project happen, including:

• Sibley — Jennifer Clancy, Jackie Lowther, Denise Simard
• Feinberg Library — Kristie Stanton, Malina Thiede, Joshua Beatty
• Beaumont — Kirstin Menoff, Amy Mountcastle, Connie Oxford, Sandra Rezac
• ACC — Regan Ashline, Lorri LaBarge, Karen McGrath
• ARO — Jennifer Curry
• Jennifer Bleaux — Administrative assistant II in DEI

In addition, Heard thanked President Alexander Enyedi, Assistant Vice President of Human Resource Services Sarah Reyell, Irland, Marant, and Kayleigh Raville, also from the CCHD, for speaking at the event.

For more information on lactation policy or spaces on campus, contact Human Resource and Services at 518-564-5062 or email [email protected].

— Story, Photos by Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs