Business Case for Breastfeeding Community Project University of Central Florida Ashley Bailes, Stacy Howard, Lyndsey Sutherland, Isabelle Waddel, and Eve Wittlin-Young THE FLORIDA BREASTFEEDING COALITION

BUSINESS CASE FOR BREASTFEEDING: PLAN OF ACTION Implement a comprehensive lactation support program in businesses in Central Florida Lactation support programs are aimed towards breastfeeding employees in the workplace and include: Support from supervisors, employers, colleagues, and other mothers Flexible return to work options Education and access to professional lactation support Private room or space for the expression of milk during work hours Time and opportunity to express milk while at work

BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING Breastfeeding decreases the incidence of a variety of infectious diseases in infants, including gastrointestinal illnesses, bacteremia, pulmonary infections, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Saves money for family and community Formula costs avg $1949 a year (30 ounces/day) Excess of 2,033 doctor visits, 212 days in hospital, 609 prescriptions due to illness caused from the immature immune system of the baby 3.6 billion dollar savings in US annual health costs Decreases cancers for mom such as breast, uterine, and ovarian Mothers have lower risk for CAD, DMII, Osteoporosis Healthy babies = less missed work days for mom Insurance benefits

Breastfeeding benefits everyone 1.Mothers: Decreased risk of disease 2.Babies: Decreased adverse health events 3.Employers: Decreased employee absenteeism, increased employee retention 4.Society: Reduced economic burden Working mothers are the fastest growing population of the workforce 55% of full time employed mothers have children that are under the age of three Low breastfeeding rates in the U.S. may be due to increasing rates of women within the workforce, and due to the lack of a workplace lactation program IMPORTANCE OF A LACTATION PROGRAM IN THE WORKPLACE

COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS Project Partner: The Florida Breastfeeding Coalition Business Case for Breastfeeding Toolkit Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Award Target Employers and Companies: Universal Studios, Orlando Winnie Palmer Hospital for Mothers and Babies

GOALS Educate Universal Studios and Winnie Palmer Hospital on the importance and benefits of breastfeeding Increase the awareness on ways breastfeeding can be promoted in the workplace Raise existing awarded business standards and reach the highest acceptable breastfeeding award Increase rates of the lactating staff by establishing a breastfeeding friendly workplace Employed women will breastfeed to the recommended one year and will feel supported in the workplace

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT 2011 U.S. National Average 2011 Florida Average Healthy People 2020 Goals Mothers ever having breastfed 74.6%79.6%81.9% Mothers breastfeeding at 6 months 44.3%30%60.6% Mothers breastfeeding at 12 months 23.8%20.2%34.1%

ASSESSMENT OF TARGET BUSINESSES Universal Studios Popular Central Florida resort and theme park, located in Orlando, Florida “Committed to improving the quality of life where our guests and Team Members live, work and play” (Universal Orlando Resort, 2012) Winnie Palmer Hospital for Mothers and Babies Part of Orlando Health, located in downtown Orlando, Florida. Highest number of births in the state of Florida, with over 14,500 babies born annually (Orlando Health, 2012) “To improve the health and quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve” (Orlando Health, 2012)

EVIDENCE 77% reduction of lost work time related to infant illness ($60,000 annual savings) 72.5% increase in breastfeeding rates at 6 months (National average 21%) 62% fewer prescriptions For each infant that a working mother breastfeeds the individual employer saves between $331 and $471 in healthcare dollars Cigna’s annual savings $240,000 healthcare expenses Home Depot in Atlanta Georgia, established a lactation program that revealed a cost savings of $42,000/year on average due to lower absenteeism rates Heath Resources and Services Administration, n.d.

OUTCOMES Initial goals of starting a lactation program in Universal Orlando and Winnie Palmer were not achieved In spite of vigorous efforts and communication outreaches, both companies were uninterested in the proposed project Many unforeseen goals were achieved Became proficient Business Case Outreach Workers Better understand all the barriers that working mothers face to maintain breastfeeding Acknowledge the importance for supporting, encouraging, and promoting breastfeeding exclusivity for the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies

FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS Business Case Outreach workers should start with finding a local business that is interested in starting a lactation program Sufficient time should be allotted to arrange meetings, educate employees, implement the plan, and evaluate and maintain the program All efforts should be made to introduce and expand this program to all organizations in Central Florida and statewide as it has shown much success in other businesses when implemented. All efforts and advancements were forwarded to program director for the BCBF in order to maintain contact, avoid redundancy, and provide support to businesses if requested in the future.

REFERENCES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2009).Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries. Retrieved March 22, 2012 fromhttp:// American Academy of Pediatrics. (2005). Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics, 115(2), Ball, T. & Wright, A. (1999). Health care costs of formula feeding for the first year of life Pediatrics, 103 (4), Carothers, C., & Hare, I. (2010). The business case for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Medicine, doi: /bfm Florida Breastfeeding Coalition. (2009). Breastfeeding in the news. Retrieved March 3, 2012 from Godfrey, J., & Lawrence, R. (2010). Toward optimal health: The maternal benefits of breastfeeding. Journal of Women's Health. 19(9), doi: /jwh

REFERENCES Health Resources and Services Administration. (n.d.). The business case for breastfeeding: Employer spotlights. Retrieved April 6, 2012 from Mills, S. (2009). Workplace lactation programs: a critical element for breastfeeding mothers' success. AAOHN Journal, 57(6), Ogbuanu, C., Probst, J., Laditka, S., Liu, J., Baek, J., & Glover, S. (2009). Reasons why women do not initiate breastfeeding: A southeastern state study. Women's Health Issues, 19(4), Orlando Health. (2012). Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Children: About us. Retrievedon April 4, 2012 from Universal Orlando Resort. (2012). Join our team: Our main attraction. Retrieved on April 4, 2012 from