TEMECULA, Calif. (July 30, 2013) – August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and Pechanga Resort & Casino is pleased to have recently received an award for its lactation room, a benefit for new mothers returning to work following their maternity leaves. Pechanga was recognized by San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital as being the only large employer in its service area to provide a lactation room for its team members. According to Kari Spoelstra, RN BSN IBCLC, who presented the award, Pechanga sets the bar in the Southern California inland area as a leader in caring for mothers and their infants. The recognition is a direct reflection of positive comments received by the hospital during home visits to Pechanga team members who are on maternity leave and who planned to utilize the room upon their return to work.
“Offering a lactation room is something many large employers in the region should do,” says Spoelstra. “Pechanga leads the way in recognizing that healthy kids mean healthy mothers and vice versa. Like many hospitals, we encourage new moms to breastfeed so they can give their child as much nourishment as possible and pass on natural antibodies to the baby.” Having a private room dedicated to the encouragement of babies receiving breast milk constitutes a major benefit for employees according to Spoelstra. She explains that children who are breastfed have shown to be healthier with immune systems better able to fend off infections.
“Fewer sick children at home means fewer sick days new moms have to utilize in order to take their children to the pediatrician,” says Katherine Schafer RN, Occupational Health Specialist at Pechanga. “Pechanga has offered the lactation room as a benefit for new moms since 2006. Since then, we have had numerous women tell us how much they appreciated having the facility. Some of their friends who go back to work at other companies have to use a restroom to express milk where electrical outlets are either hard to find or located in inconvenient places.”
The lactation room provides all the things a nursing mother would need to express milk for her babies – two private pump stations (moms must bring their own pump), sink with hot water, soap and towels, lockers, refrigerator, labels for milk bottles, and a full-length mirror for checking one’s outfit is in order before she exits. The room can only be accessed with a special badge which a new mom must receive from the Pechanga Occupational Health Department. The Occupational Health nurses say the room is used about 6 times per day depending on the day and how many moms have signed up for badge access.
Pechanga Resort & Casino employs 4,000 people and is the largest private employer based in Riverside County, California.
About Pechanga Resort & Casino
Pechanga Resort & Casino offers the largest and most expansive resort/casino experience anywhere in the western United States. Rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2003, Pechanga Resort & Casino provides an unparalleled getaway, whether for the day or for an extended luxury stay. Offering more than 3,000 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class entertainment, 517 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort & Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free 1-888-PECHANGA or visit www.Pechanga.com. Follow Pechanga Resort & Casino on Facebook and on Twitter@PechangaCasino. Pechanga Resort & Casino is open 24-hours. Guests must be 21 and older to enter the casino.
