Renville County Receives State Breastfeeding-Friendly Recognition

Renville County has been named a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for its contributions to the health of parents and their babies.

Renville County’s Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) program and Renville County Public Health Nurses worked with Renville County in 2018 to create a breastfeeding room accessible for its employees.

The designation acknowledges Renville County’s commitment to acting as a model for the community by supporting healthy families and receiving the business benefits of supporting nursing employees. The designation is achieved by adopting a written policy and educating staff about it; ensuring adequate break time for breastfeeding employees; providing a clean, private place to pump breast milk; and demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting breastfeeding in the workplace.

MDH recognizes workplaces and county health departments that have demonstrated their commitment to supporting breastfeeding employees by creating a workplace lactation support program.

Breastfeeding is a foundational way to ensure that babies receive optimal nutrition during the first formative years of life. Studies show that infants who are breastfed have better health outcomes as they grow.

This is MDH’s recognition program, which was created and is supported by the state Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) and the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP).