SAVANNAH, GA — Healthy Savannah has released a new video public service announcement (PSA) featuring Savannah Downtown Business Association Director Mia Mance recognizing local organizations that provide designated lactation spaces and supportive policies for breastfeeding and nursing employees, customers, students, and guests as part of its “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” initiative.
The one-minute video is available online at https://healthysavannah.org/our-programs/breastfeeding/ and will be shown on the City and County Government channels over the next several weeks.
“This PSA celebrates employers, public institutions, and businesses across Savannah and Chatham County that have taken steps to create welcoming, private, and clean spaces for breastfeeding and pumping, helping families balance work, education, and caregiving while supporting maternal and infant health,” said Dr. Elsie Smalls, Healthy Savannah’s REACH Team Breastfeeding program manager. “It serves both as a recognition tool and a call to action, encouraging additional organizations to learn how easy it is to become breastfeeding-friendly and to publicly demonstrate their support for employees and clients.”
Launched in 2025, Healthy Savannah’s “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” initiative recognizes organizations that comply with Georgia’s breastfeeding and lactation laws, including the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and Title IX protections for lactating students. Participating organizations receive a door decal and a certificate of recognition designed to be displayed in public-facing spaces such as entrances, employee break rooms, and visitor waiting areas.
Healthy Savannah recently gathered information from local individuals and businesses via an online breastfeeding landscape evaluation survey. Results from over 200 community members and 21 different employers about the biggest challenges and greatest needs indicate:
• Only 47% feel like Savannah is very supportive of breastfeeding parents
• Over half (55%) feel extremely supported at work to pump
• Over 60% indicate their employer does not have a lactation policy or they are not sure
• 43% of employers report not having a written lactation accommodation policy
• 67% of employers offer a private place for parents to pump
• 40% of employers say they would be interested in learning more
“Providing a safe, private space for breastfeeding or pumping is a simple step that sends a powerful message of support,” said Armand Turner, executive director of Healthy Savannah. “This video highlights organizations that are leading by example and helping normalize breastfeeding as part of everyday life at work, at school, and in the community.”
The initiative is funded through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant, administered by Healthy Savannah in partnership with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. A key focus of the REACH grant is reducing disparities that discourage breastfeeding, particularly among Black mothers, by promoting policy, systems, and environmental changes in workplaces and public spaces.
In Georgia, employers are required to provide reasonable break time and a private space, other than a restroom, for employees to express breast milk. Title IX further protects lactating students by requiring schools to provide reasonable accommodations without academic penalty. Despite these protections, many parents still report barriers to breastfeeding outside the home.
Savannah area businesses and organizations that participate in the “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” initiative include:
• Chatham County Sheriff’s Office
• Coastal Health District – all locations in eight counties, including the Chatham County Health Department
• Enmarket Arena
• Gateway’s Azalea, Jasmine, Magnolia and Chatham behavioral health crisis centers
• Georgia Southern University – three locations on the Armstrong campus, and three at the Statesboro campus.
• Grayson Stadium
• Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum
• Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.
• Oglethorpe Mall
• Opportunity Center at Goodwill
• Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center
• Savannah Children’s Museum
• Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
Organizations interested in being recognized as a “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” space or workplace can contact Healthy Savannah for guidance on compliance, policy development, and participation. Healthy Savannah is also developing an interactive map on its website of breastfeeding-friendly locations and encourages participating organizations to learn more.
ABOUT THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA / HEALTHY SAVANNAH REACH GRANT: In October 2025, Healthy Savannah announced continued funding of the CDC’s five-year, $3.8 million Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant, originally endowed in 2023. The funds, administered by Healthy Savannah and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, support sustainable health equity for racial and ethnic minority populations in low-wealth neighborhoods, focusing on nutrition, physical activity and breastfeeding. Working with over 200 community partners, the Savannah/Chatham County team is advancing these goals through an “upstream” approach. Founded in 2007, Healthy Savannah was honored in 2022 with the CDC’s REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity. healthysavannah.org | ymcaofcoastalga.org
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