Our ADHS Infant at Work program has earned national recognition from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the de Beaumont Foundation. The Infant at Work program won an inaugural Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) Model Policies and Practices Challenge Best State award. The challenge highlights workforce innovations that are changing the public health field and demonstrating a strategic investment in the future of the national public health workforce.
The Infant at Work program allows infants up to six months old to come into work with their mom, dad, or caregiver. The many public health benefits include allowing babies time to bond with their caregiver, breastfeeding support to ensure mom and baby get off to a healthy start, and has the employee benefits of boosting office morale and having our working moms and dads come back to work sooner and stay with the Department longer.
Governor Doug Ducey announced in his 2017 State of the State address that the program will be expanded to other state agencies. The program has already expanded to the Governor’s Office, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, and the Arizona Department of Economic Security with more coming soon. To learn more about how you can start a program at your business, go online to our Infants at Work website. You will find sample forms, sample policies and tips to make the program successful.
