The University of Kansas Medical Center

Human Resources

Lactation Support Policy

Policy Statement

The University of Kansas Medical Center recognizes the health and emotional advantages of breastfeeding for mothers and infants. The Medical Center will strive to offer support and flexibility to nursing mothers who are faculty, staff, residents, trainees and students to express their breast milk during work hours and on campus, while still allowing them to maintain proper focus on the performance of their duties and/or studies.

Procedure

The following bullet points govern the usage of the Medical Center's Express Stations.

Express Stations

• Express Stations (lactation rooms) are identified below and are set up to support the expressing of breast milk in a private, pleasant and sanitary environment. Nursing mothers are responsible for providing their own pumps and collection containers. In addition, nursing mothers who use the Express Stations are required to schedule the time to use the room on the GroupWise schedule provided for each location (see below). If a nursing mother desires to store her milk temporarily in the KUMC refrigerators provided in the Express Stations, she should label containers with the milk she expressed with her name and the date so the milk does not become confused with another employee's breast milk. To avoid interruption users must also use the sliding "Vacant/Occupied" signs outside each room.
• Locations
  1. Support Services Building - Room 103A
  2. School of Nursing - Room 3070
  3. Robinson - Room 2001
  4. Hemenway - Room 1055A
  5. Miller - Room 4021
  6. Wescoe - Room 2044
  7. Wahl East - Room TBD

Reserving Express Stations

Faculty, staff, residents, trainees, students and other authorized users must pre-plan the use of the Medical Center's Express Stations through the Novell GroupWise system. Nursing mothers who anticipate becoming users of the Express Stations should talk with someone in the Benefits section of the Human Resources department, whether in person at 1044 Delp, or by telephone at 913-588-5087. Users may also email their request to ExpressStations@kumc.edu. A designated member of the Benefits team will be authorized to grant users permission through the system to reserve Express Stations.

Training will also be provided, as necessary, for users to reserve Express Stations. In addition to providing certainty with regard to schedule, this functionality will also allow users to do a "busy" search to find available Express Stations on an as-needed basis when employees may anticipate being asked to work in areas of the Medical Center outside of their department, or in the event of unanticipated schedule changes or other anomalies.

Supervisory Involvement

Nursing mothers are asked to advise their supervisors of the time needed away from work to express breast milk, to discuss any potential impacts to work duties during these anticipated absences, and to help ensure work is transferred appropriately prior to employees leaving their work areas, as may be necessary or appropriate. Nursing mothers may also be asked to record time spent away from their work area when leaving their department for the purpose of expressing breast milk.

Employee Classification Issues

Non-Exempt Employees. For up to a one- year period of time following the birth or adoption of her child, the Medical Center will allow non-exempt, nursing mothers whose work day is normally eight or ten hours, up to three (3) additional, thirty-minute unpaid breaks each day for the purpose of expressing breast milk while at work. Employees who are scheduled to work twelve hour shifts will be granted a fourth unpaid thirty minute break, upon request, as may be necessary. Non-exempt employees who are nursing mothers may elect to use sick, vacation or compensatory time (if available) to be paid for these breaks. Non-exempt employees may use their thirty-minute, unpaid lunch break for expressing breast milk. If individual circumstances warrant, an employee may combine lactation breaks with paid or unpaid break times with the permission of the employee's supervisor.

Exempt Employees. For up to a one- year period of time following the birth or adoption of her child, the Medical Center will allow exempt employees necessary and appropriate breaks for the purpose of expressing breast milk while at work. These breaks should be coordinated with and approved by an employee's supervisor, as may be necessary or appropriate. Exempt employees who are nursing mothers shall not be required to utilize leave time to cover time spent expressing breast milk. Exempt employees may combine lactation breaks with their lunch period, in their discretion, and with the agreement of the employee's supervisor.

Partnership With the University of Kansas Hospital and the University of Kansas Physicians

In partnership with The University of Kansas Hospital ("the Hospital"), and The University of Kansas Physicians ("UKP"), employees of the Medical Center are authorized to use lactation rooms and/or Express Stations at the Hospital and UKP. Likewise, employees of the Hospital and UKP may utilize the Medical Center's Express Stations. It should be understood that additional or different rules may apply to Hospital and UKP lactation rooms/Express Stations. It is the responsibility of the employee using these rooms to familiarize themselves with these rules and to conduct themselves accordingly.