Courthouse Lactation Room Program

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

The Miami-Dade County (County) Internal Services Department, Facilities and Utilities Management Division (ISD) manages approximately 60 facilities covering over six million square feet of County-owned space. ISD, in collaboration with the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, the Miami-Dade County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, and the Clerk of the Courts identified a critical need for lactation facilities for users of Miami-Dade County court facilities. Due to the lack of a designated space, courthouse users were forced to pump breastmilk in bathroom stalls, offices, or in cars during periods of excessive heat and inclement weather. After an evaluation of available space within existing Court facilities, ISD repurposed underutilized space within four (4) existing courthouse facilities and collaborated with external groups to open new Lactation Rooms at the Dade County Courthouse, the Children’s Courthouse, the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse, and the Coral Gables Branch Courthouse. The Courthouse Lactation Room Program provides a clean, comfortable, and private space which may be used by courthouse users to express breastmilk. As a result of the program, nursing mothers are able to utilize courthouse facilities without needing to sacrifice the benefits of breastfeeding or to endure the inconvenience of pumping breastmilk in adverse and uncomfortable conditions.