BROOKLYN — Only the breast applicants need apply.
The city is advertising a position for a new program manager whose job it would be to encourage and support breastfeeding in Central Brooklyn, according to the job posting— a position that could pay up to $73,000.
The Breastfeeding Empowerment Zone — or BFEZ — program will provide breastfeeding information to parents in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, and will include home visits, breastfeeding consultations, support groups and media outreach, including a "breastfeeding public awareness campaign."
The program will also have a focus on male involvement in breastfeeding, according to the listing.
The program manager position, which comes with full benefits, requires a master's degree in public health, public policy or public or business administration, and will work on behalf of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The Health Department last month announced that they received a three-year grant to support the program, the New York Post reported.
The purpose of the $1.2 million grant is to "increase breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity rates in Central Brooklyn, N.Y., by implementing a socio-ecological, community-based model that can be replicated in other low-income communities of color," according to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the company that awarded the grant.
The BFEZ program is part of a broader initiative by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration to promote breastfeeding. "Latch On NYC" advocates for what health officials say are the benefits of breastfeeding while asking hospitals to limit the promotion of baby formula.
So far, 29 hospitals have signed on to participate in the program, according to the Health Department.
Critics of "Latch On NYC" say it takes away parents' choice by pressuring women into breastfeeding, although the city says formula will still be available to anyone who chooses it.
