gblowfish
06-24-2010, 12:42 PM
St. Luke’s opens depot for human breast milk donation
By ROSEANN MORING
The Kansas City Star
St. Luke’s Hospital just made it easier for new mothers to donate breast milk.
The hospital announced Wednesday that it had opened the area’s first human milk depot. The milk will be provided by prescription to babies whose mothers can’t produce enough.
For now, the milk will be shipped to a center in Denver. But the hospital plans to become a full milk bank by early next year, which means it will process, pasteurize and distribute the milk.
Medical director Barbara Carr said human milk has health benefits in babies’ bones, immune and intestinal systems and many other areas.
To donate milk, women must go through a screening. They also must send blood to be tested with the donated milk. Without a depot, mothers must do all that themselves — obtain dry ice, find a blood testing center that will give them back the blood, and ship the milk and blood sample to Denver.
For Amanda Marsh of Olathe, the benefits outweighed the costs even before the Kansas City depot opened — she’d planned to ship her milk to Denver after hearing about the process from a friend there.
She became St. Luke’s first human milk donor.
“I think a lot of moms want to do this but it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort,” Marsh said.
Carr said the depot needs about $100,000 to become a bank, mostly for supplies. But because the hospital won’t make money off the operation, she hopes to get donations on a regular basis after the bank is open.
Lissa Cross, a registered nurse and lactation consultant, said many mothers can’t produce milk.
“It really is a precious gift,” she said.
Donations take place in the Women’s Center, at 43rd Street and Wornall Road. People interested in learning more can call the depot at 816-932-4888 or send e-mail to kcmilkbank@saint-lukes.org.
By ROSEANN MORING
The Kansas City Star
St. Luke’s Hospital just made it easier for new mothers to donate breast milk.
The hospital announced Wednesday that it had opened the area’s first human milk depot. The milk will be provided by prescription to babies whose mothers can’t produce enough.
For now, the milk will be shipped to a center in Denver. But the hospital plans to become a full milk bank by early next year, which means it will process, pasteurize and distribute the milk.
Medical director Barbara Carr said human milk has health benefits in babies’ bones, immune and intestinal systems and many other areas.
To donate milk, women must go through a screening. They also must send blood to be tested with the donated milk. Without a depot, mothers must do all that themselves — obtain dry ice, find a blood testing center that will give them back the blood, and ship the milk and blood sample to Denver.
For Amanda Marsh of Olathe, the benefits outweighed the costs even before the Kansas City depot opened — she’d planned to ship her milk to Denver after hearing about the process from a friend there.
She became St. Luke’s first human milk donor.
“I think a lot of moms want to do this but it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort,” Marsh said.
Carr said the depot needs about $100,000 to become a bank, mostly for supplies. But because the hospital won’t make money off the operation, she hopes to get donations on a regular basis after the bank is open.
Lissa Cross, a registered nurse and lactation consultant, said many mothers can’t produce milk.
“It really is a precious gift,” she said.
Donations take place in the Women’s Center, at 43rd Street and Wornall Road. People interested in learning more can call the depot at 816-932-4888 or send e-mail to kcmilkbank@saint-lukes.org.