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Grace Ioannidis

Department of
Women's Services

Our Mission

The mission of the Suffolk County Executive’s Office of Women’s Services is to identify the needs and concerns of the female population of Suffolk seeking services and to advocate and stimulate awareness on their behalf.

The Office of Women’s Services is a county agency that serves women in all walks of life, at all times and passages on their lives. The office acts as the liaison between the women of Suffolk County and county government.


The Women of Suffolk County

Women constitute over 51% of the population of Suffolk County. They are the majority population in every age group over thirty. Many of these women are “head of households”. Any and all programs or services designed to empower the women of Suffolk County have a direct impact, not only on the woman, but also on the entire family, particularly the children.

The Office of Women’s Services has the following responsibilities:

  • Acts as a liaison; between the women of Suffolk County and County Government.
  • Provides and sponsors free conferences, workshops and seminars on health, legal issues and personal enrichment topics.
  • Operates a women’s helpline which provides information referrals, peer counseling and resource material on a wide-range of topics including: domestic violence, sexual harassment, legal rights and breast health and mammography information.
  • Publishes brochures and literature addressing domestic violence.

Upcoming Events

News

Services

Women's Helpline

The Women's Helpline is available from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Helpline offers information, referrals to resources for further help and emotional support. The Helpline is bilingual. Calls can be anonymous and confidentiality is respected. Provides resources and referrals to assist victims of domestic violence and to enhance services to victims of sexual assault.

The Health Information Tool for Empowerment

The Health Information Tool for Empowerment is an online directory offering information on more than 5,000 health and social services available to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals in the Greater New York area. HITE helps people connect to vital community services quickly and easily. The directory offers information on community services throughout all of New York City and Long Island in the following categories: Dental & Optical, Financial Assistance, Health Care & Medicine, Immigrant Support, Mental Health & Substance Abuse, School, Youth & Family Services, Social Services, Transportation, and Wellness & Prevention.


Lactation Station

Suffolk County Executive’s Office first public lactation room in a municipality for breastfeeding moms inside the H. Lee Dennison Building on the third floor. Resolution No. 820 -2014 established a policy that supports nursing mothers in the county workplace in support of this and the fact that 77% of new moms choose to breastfeed in this room which offers a quiet and safe place to breastfeed or pump.

Lactation rooms are also available at the Riverhead County Clerk’s Office and the Suffolk County Legislature.


M/WBE Suffolk County Certification

The purpose of obtaining a WBE Certification in Suffolk County is to ensure that minority and women owned business enterprises have sufficient opportunity to participate both directly and indirectly in contracting opportunities with Suffolk County. Certifying your business as a Suffolk County Women Business Enterprise (WBE) will place your information on the Suffolk County WBE Directory, which has several advantages as listed below;

  • The Directory will contain a database of Women owned businesses by National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) code stating the type of goods and services offered. This will facilitate companies seeking particular goods and services to find M/WBE's via code.
  • WBE's can also sign up for e-mail alerts from the Suffolk County Purchasing Department and Department of Public Works advising of the availability of contracts to WBE's. This system is unique in that it generates e-mail notices of Request for Proposals (RFP's) by NIGP code. This will allow greater access by WBE's wishing to obtain Suffolk County contracts for the particular goods and services specific to their business.
  • When RFP's and bid responses are submitted to Suffolk County, general and prime contractors must submit, along with their responses, a "utilization plan" detailing how they will incorporate the use of M/WBE's, if awarded the contract. Ownership must be real, substantial and continuing. The applicant must have and exercise the authority to independently control the business decisions of the enterprise. The business enterprise must demonstrate that it is an independent, continuing entity, which has been actively seeking contracts or orders and regularly and actively performing business activities. Generally, the business should be in operation for at least one year.

Our focus:

  • To register firms doing business in Suffolk County as WBE's, when qualified.
  • Encourage and promote the participation of WBE's in the county procurement process.
  • Provide Businesses and Prime contractors with a list of WBE’s doing business in Suffolk County.
  • Provide Prime contractors doing business with Suffolk County a list of WBE’s that they can use to meet their Suffolk County’s utilization goals.

The Office of Women’s Services and Minority Affairs will verify certifications by NYS. Once verified it will appear in the members profile.

Firms wishing to participate as a WBE are also encouraged to certify through the New York State M/WBE Office.

For a WBE application please go to; https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Minority-Affairs/Certify-Business/Certification-Application

Task Forces and Committees

Breastfeeding Coalition

Breastfeeding offers important and wide-ranging benefits for both nursing mothers and their infants. In addition to the natural and nutritional components in breast milk, it also sustains a baby’s physical, neurological and emotional growth, breastfeeding passes along important immunological benefits to the nursing baby, which can significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of early illnesses and AAP believes that successful breastfeeding is an essential part of a newborns development.


NY Women in Prison Coalition
SPARC Steering Committee
HerStory Writers Workshop

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder Resources

See below for Suffolk County's 2021 Resource Directory for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in various languages.

NY Project Hope - Coping with COVID

Monthly Breastfeeding Support Groups

BFREE: Breastfeeding Resiliency, Engagement, and Empowerment flyer - English

Hosted by lactation professionals (IBCLCs, CBCs, CLCs) and pediatric residents (MDs)

When: First Thursday of every month, 10am-12pm

Join by Phone: 1-888-602-0202 (Passcode: 516-465-5304#)

OR

Join Online: Microsoft Teams link: http://bit.ly/sshbabycafe

Link is also on our Facebook Page:

BFREE: Breastfeeding Resiliency, Engagement, and Empowerment

We look forward to “seeing” you there!

Any questions/technology concerns? Email BFREE@northwell.edu

BFREE: Breastfeeding Resiliency, Engagement, and Empowerment flyer - Espanol

Dirigido por profesionales en lactancia (IBCLCs, CBCs, CLCs) y residentes pediátricos (MDs)

Cuando: El primer jueves de cada mes, 10am-12pm

Únase por teléfono: 1-888-602-0202 (Código de acceso: 516-465-5304#)

O

Únase en línea: Equipos de Microsoft: http://bit.ly/sshbabycafe

El enlace también se encuentra en nuestra página de Facebook :

BFREE: Breastfeeding Resiliency, Engagement, and Empowerment

¡Esperamos verlos allí!

Si tiene preguntas o necesita ayuda con la conexión, escriba al email BFREE@northwell.edu

sponsors

Do You Want to Become a Qualified Infant-Toddler Teacher?

Commissions and Coalitions

Suffolk County Women's Advisory Commission

Created by a resolution of the County Legislature, the Suffolk County Women's Advisory Commission is composed of a cross-section of the community of women. The Commission suggests programs, advises the Office on policy and advocates for the betterment of the women of Suffolk County.

Pursuant to the 1st RESOLVED clause of Resolution No. 173-2000, the “Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Commission” was established to make recommendations to the Suffolk County Division of Women’s Services, the County Executive, and the County Legislature with regards to women’s issues. The commission shall act in an advocacy role within Suffolk County government for women’s issues by working with the County Division of Women’s Services for the recommendations to the County Executive and the Count Legislature if such initiatives are approved by the County Legislature.

If you’re interested in serving contact your local Legislator at: https://www.scnylegislature.us/

Click here to view the members of the Suffolk County Women's Advisory Commission

The Suffolk County Women’s Business Enterprise Coalition

The Suffolk County Women’s Business Enterprise Coalition (SCWBEC) is the only organization of its kind on Long Island. SCWBEC was originally established in 1990 under the Suffolk County Office of Affirmative Action and Minority Affairs by a group of visionary business women. The goal was to break down the barriers to get women-owned businesses (WBEs) on the bid lists for County and other government agencies, and to make women owned businesses known to government and private industry. The Mission of SCWBEC is to register all women-owned businesses in SuffolkCounty and to publish a product and services directory for distribution to all purchasing agents and procurement people in government and private industry.

scwbec.org

Suffolk County Government

H. Lee Dennison Bldg

100 Veterans Memorial Hwy
P.O. Box 6100
Hauppauge, NY 11788

Riverhead County Center

County Road 51
Riverhead, NY 11901