Biz Journal: CHOP is creating a breastmilk bank

This story was originally published in the Philadelphia Business Journal

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said Tuesday it is developing a nonprofit milk bank to provide donor human milk for hospitalized infants.

The West Philadelphia pediatric medical center’s goal its to open the milk bank by late summer in 2015.
CHOP is working on the project with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, a professional organization that sets the standards and guidelines for nonprofit donor milk banking in North America.

The hospital already works with the association to collect milk from mothers who volunteer to become human milk donors. CHOP officials said milk donors must meet strict donor criteria to ensure that she is healthy and the milk is safe. Donors are required to complete a medical history and lifestyle questionnaire and obtain the approval of their health-care provider before donating. They are also required to have a blood test to screen for diseases including HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis.

“By developing an onsite milk bank, we will no longer have to ship out milk donated by our families and wait for it to be pasteurized and processed elsewhere,” said Diane L. Spatz, director of lactation at CHOP. “By doing all of this work on-site, we will streamline what is now a lengthy process and make it even easier for our families and employees to donate milk.”

CHOP has used donor human milk since 2006 for at-risk infants to supplement a mother’s own milk supply if it is insufficient, or to use if the mother is unable to provide milk.

Earlier this week, Philadelphia’s six acute-care hospitals with obstetrical departments announced, in a move to promote breastfeeding, they will no longer be giving away free industry-sponsored samples of formula to new moms being discharged from the hospital in order to promote breastfeeding.

Image via Philadelphia Business Journal