Dive Brief:
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has opened a human milk bank, the 18th approved milk bank in the U.S.
- The CHOP Mothers' Milk Bank was developed in cooperation with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), a professional organization that sets the standards and guidelines for nonprofit donor milk banking in North America.
- Women can now donate their milk directly to the hospital.
Dive Insight:
Mothers of CHOP patients collectively donate an average of 22,000 ounces of milk annually, according to the hospital. Donated milk was previously shipped to a milk bank in Columbus, OH.
CHOP has planned a three-stage process to handle initial donations. Inpatients' mothers are first in line as donors, followed by CHOP employees. CHOP will then accept milk from people in the surrounding area, provided they meet donor criteria.
Donors must complete a medical history and lifestyle questionnaire and obtain the approval of their healthcare provider prior to donating milk, as well as have a blood test completed to screen for diseases including HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.