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Description
From the Hearing of Council's Committee on Public Health held Wednesday, November 16, 2016:
Sara Jann, Executive Associate at the Maternity Care Coalition testifies in favor of Councilwoman Cindy Bass' Ordinance #160811:
"requiring that all City buildings and facilities with bathrooms open to the public have baby diaper changing stations; and requiring the installation of diaper changing stations in connection with capital projects."
A
Good
morning,
thank
you
for
being
here
and
you
can
state
your
name
for
the
record
and
please
begin
with
your
testimony.
Good
morning
my
name
is
Sarah
Jan
and
I'm.
The
executive
associate
at
maternity
care
coalition,
and
I'm
here
today
to
testify
in
support
of
bill
number
16
08
11
maternity
care
coalition
is
a
philadelphia-based
nonprofit
organization
which
works
to
improve
maternal
and
child
health
and
well-being
through
the
collaborative
efforts
of
individuals,
families
providers
and
communities.
A
Many
Philadelphians
know
us
as
the
mom
mobile
or
is
the
largest
provider
of
Early
Head
Start
in
the
state
of
Pennsylvania,
and
for
more
than
30
years.
Maternity
care
coalition
has
worked
tirelessly
to
improve
the
quality
of
life
for
pregnant
women,
infants,
families
and
children's
ages
0
to
3,
which
is
why
I'm
so
pleased
to
be
here
today
to
speak
in
support
of
this
bill.
I
am
also
a
mom
I
have
a
16
month
old,
son,
Casper
and
I'm
the
spouse
of
a
city
employee.
A
A
Philadelphia
has
already
taken
the
lead
on
ensuring
breastfeeding
accommodations
for
working
mothers
and
protecting
every
mother's
right
to
breastfeed
her
baby.
This
bill
is
an
ideal
opportunity
for
the
city
to
demonstrate
its
ongoing
commitment
to
supporting
Philadelphia's
families
with
young
children
and
welcoming
all
families
to
our
city.
I'm
sure
this
won't
come
as
a
surprise
to
most
but
being
a
parent
is
hard
work.
Young
parents
shouldn't
have
the
stress
of
not
knowing
where
they
can
change
their
babies.
For
us
city
parents,
it's
impossible
to
carry
around
all
the
things
needed
to
care
for
a
baby.
A
On
a
given
day.
We
have
to
rely
on
our
communities
to
be
conducive
environments
in
which
we
can
care
for
our
babies,
so
when
a
parent
visits
a
city
building
and
has
to
scramble
to
find
a
place
to
change
their
baby,
the
message
is
that
babies
and
families
are
not
expected
or
allowed
to
be
in
these
facilities
and
that
the
needs
of
a
child
are
not
important
as
caregivers.
We
learn
to
adapt.
A
Many
of
us
know
where
we
can
go
to
find
a
clean
place
to
change
our
babies,
but
dads
and
male
caregivers
are
almost
entirely
out
of
luck.
The
lack
of
places
for
men
to
change
their
babies
perpetuates
the
problematic
notion
that
caring
for
children
is
strictly
women's
work.
Is
this
the
message
the
city
wants
to
send
that
parents
must
go
elsewhere
to
find
a
clean
place
to
change
their
babies
also
worth
considering?
Are
the
millions
of
tourists,
newcomers
and
potential
future
residents
that
visit
Philadelphia
annually?
What
do
we
want?
A
Their
impression
of
our
city
to
be
this
bill
is
a
prime
opportunity
for
the
city
to
do
something
small,
to
support
families
in
a
big
way
and
set
an
example
for
other
cities
at
maternity
care
coalition.
We
are
proud
to
be
a
philadelphia-based
organization
and
we
are
proud
of
the
city
of
Philadelphia
for
the
strives
it
has
already
made
as
a
family
friendly
city.
We
are
constantly
asking
ourselves
what
do
families
need
and
how
can
we
better
support
them
in
considering
this
bill?
A
I
urge
you
to
ask
yourself
the
same
question:
caregivers,
both
male
and
female,
need
a
safe
and
clean
place
to
change
their
babies.
Philadelphia
must
welcome
babies
and
families
to
its
publicly
accessible
buildings.
This
bill
is
both
a
vital
and
logical
step
for
the
families
and
for
the
city
of
Philadelphia.