VCU Health Lactation Lounge Opens at Greater Richmond Convention Center

February 2, 2018

RICHMOND, VA -- Mothers will find feeding their babies easier and more convenient at the Greater Richmond Convention Center with the opening of the VCU Health Lactation Lounge.

The GRCC is the only convention center in the Commonwealth of Virginia to offer a permanent lactation lounge for guests. The lounge is sponsored by VCU Health as part of its commitment to supporting mothers who want to breastfeed their babies.

“Previously, we worked with clients to help accommodate mothers by designating temporary space as needed,” said Michael A. Meyers, Spectra’s General Manager of the GRCC. “We’re very pleased to partner with VCU Health to designate a permanent lactation room that will benefit more visitors.”

“By creating the Lactation Lounge at the GRCC, we support mothers in their goal to breastfeed, giving their babies the best start in life,” said Valerie Coleman, Head of Lactation Services for VCU Health. “We are thrilled that the GRCC recognizes the need for this type of space and hope that venues across the Commonwealth will follow their lead, joining our efforts to improve the health of our moms, babies and families.”

The VCU Health Lactation Lounge, located in the GRCC’s Ballroom Building, features comfortable seating, a table, power supply for pumping, nursing pads and easy access to restrooms. When the lounge door is closed, it can be locked from the inside and displays an “occupied” message on the outside.

The Academy of American Pediatrics recommends human milk as a baby’s optimal source of nutrition and immune protection. The AAP recommends a comfortable, safe place for women to pump in order to maintain their milk supply.

The amenity opens just in time for the Richmond Women’s Health & Fitness Expo, presented by CBS 6, on Feb. 3-4. This year, the expo is celebrating its 16th anniversary of providing health screenings, healthy recipes, cooking demonstrations, and the latest trends in fitness for the Richmond community. As Richmond’s largest healthcare event, the expo attracts thousands of women who make major health, wellness, food, and fitness decisions for their families.

The Greater Richmond Convention Center

The Greater Richmond Convention Center is the largest meeting and exhibition facility in the Commonwealth of Virginia offering 178,000 square feet of contiguous prime exhibit space, a 30,550- square-foot grand ballroom and 50,000 square feet of additional meeting room space. It is centrally located in the capital city of Richmond and sits within a day’s drive of more than one-half of the U.S population. richmondcenter.com.

The Greater Richmond Convention Center was built as a result of regional cooperation between the city of Richmond and the surrounding counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover by their participation in the incorporation of the Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority. GRCCA, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, was created by these local governmental jurisdictions to acquire, finance, expand, renovate, construct, lease, operate and maintain the GRCC. GRCCA is governed by a five-member commission made up of the chief administrative officer of each of the four incorporating political subdivisions and the president of the Retail Merchants Association.

The Greater Richmond Convention Center is managed by Spectra. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is an industry leader in hosting and entertainment, partnering with clients to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s unmatched blend of integrated services delivers incremental value for clients through several primary areas of expertise: Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality, and Partnerships. Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com.

Spectra’s Venue Management division is the industry leader across a full range of services that impact the bottom-line success of public assembly venues, including marketing and sales, event booking, ticket services and box office management, customer service, operations and engineering, and finance and administration.

Comcast Spectacor is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that operates Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Spectacor’s three core businesses are the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers, the Wells Fargo Center Complex, and Spectra, a hosting and entertainment firm specializing in Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality, and Partnerships. Learn more at ComcastSpectacor.com.

About VCU and VCU Health

Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 220 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Seventynine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. The VCU Health brand represents the health sciences schools of VCU, the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Health System, which comprises VCU Medical Center (the only academic medical center and Level I trauma center in the region), Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, MCV Physicians and Virginia Premier Health Plan. For more, please visit www.vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org.