Lactation Rooms and breastfeeding

Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) is committed to developing strategies to be supportive of nursing individuals on campus and have therefore designated the Lactation Rooms described below for use by students, faculty and staff who are nursing.

Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended by the Affordable Care Act, requires employers to provide nursing mothers with reasonable break time to express breast milk for one year after the child’s birth. Employers are also required to provide a place that is not a bathroom, which is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public in order for employees to express breast milk.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1971, 20 U.S.C §1681 ETA seq., is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discriminations on the basis of sex, including pregnant and parenting status, in educational programs or activities.

Nursing individuals should notify their instructor or supervisor of their need to utilize Lactation Rooms on campus during work or school hours.

If you are an employee, lactation time beyond the regular break time is unpaid and will be negotiated between you and your immediate supervisor, if necessary. No leave time should be charged for breastfeeding or pumping during lunch and regularly scheduled/approved breaks.

If you’re a student and need lactation time that overlaps with classes, labs, or exams, contact the Title IX coordinator for support. You won’t be penalized for stepping away from academic activities to use a lactation room.

Room Information

Locations of Lactation Rooms available at NEOMED can be found below. Each room has a table, seating, as well as electrical outlets.

Nursing individuals have the option to use the designated Lactation Rooms or their own offices. Lactation Rooms are available on a first-come basis. Students and employees are requested to respect the privacy of others when the room is occupied. For scheduling assistance to accommodate multiple nursing individuals, please contact Human Resources.

Lactation rooms at NEOMED are available for students and employees. Visitors may use them when available.

Ohio law also allows breastfeeding in any public space where the individual is otherwise permitted. That means nursing parents are welcome to breastfeed anywhere on campus they have access to, no matter their connection to the University.