ROCKLAND COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF SECOND BABY CAFÉ IN ROCKLAND

NEW CITY, NY – – Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announce the opening of the second Baby Café in Rockland. The grand opening events will be on Thursday, August 30th, during Black Breastfeeding Week, at the Baby Café located at the Martin Luther Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center, 110 Bethune Blvd. in Spring Valley:

• 10:30 am – 11:00 am: Opening Ceremony and Refreshments
• 11:00 am – 1:00 pm: Baby Café support and counseling for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their families

Baby Café USA is a non-profit organization that helps coordinate free walk-in sites, called Baby Cafés, where pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their families can get free one-on-one support from trained lactation (breastfeeding) specialists. Café visitors also have a chance to share their experiences with others in a group setting. The Baby Café will be opened every Thursday, from 11:00 am -1:00 pm, following the East Ramapo Central School District calendar. This is in addition to the WIC Spring Valley Baby Café opened every Tuesday, from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, at 14 South Main Street in Spring Valley.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic Black women are less likely to initiate breastfeeding, have lower prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding, and breastfeed for a shorter duration. “The timing of this Baby Café is perfect, as it comes during Black Breastfeeding Week which brings awareness to the fact that there is still a wide racial disparity in breastfeeding rates among black mothers. Increasing access to support for breastfeeding mothers and creating equity will help us reduce barriers that breastfeeding mothers face, and create a culture in the community where women feel comfortable and supported in breastfeeding their babies,” said Dr. Ruppert.

The Health Department, through the Creating Breastfeeding Friendly Communities program, received funding from the New York State Department of Health to work with many local agencies, child care and health care providers, worksites, and community partners and members to ensure that all women and families receive ongoing high-quality breastfeeding education and support aimed at reducing racial breastfeeding disparities. Part of this funding allows the Health Department to work together with the Lower Hudson Valley Perinatal Network (LHVPN) to establish Baby Cafés to reduce disparities in high-need areas in the Towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown.

For more information about Baby Café USA visit www.babycafeusa.org/ or call the LHVPN at 914-406-6412. For more information about the Health Department’s Breastfeeding Support and Promotion Program and the grant visit http://rcklnd.us/breastfeeding or call the Health Department at 845-364-3786. For more information about Black Breastfeeding Week visit http://blackbreastfeedingweek.org/.

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