One of the goals of the new Mothers Milk Bank at Austin is to assist others
in starting milk banks.  We have on our Board of Directors the head of the
Central Texas Blood and Tissue Bank.  We invited him because of his
expertise in blood banking, and because we, too, think it is an important
strategy to align all kinds of tissue banking in the minds of the public
specifically because many uninformed people question the safety of milk
banking.  They don't realize that all donors are pre-screened for health
risks by questionaire, then they are screened further by blood tests.  Their
milk is frozen, then thawed, pooled and pasteurized.  Then it is
quick-cooled in an ice slurry.  Samples are taken for culturing, and the
batch is re-frozen.  If the cultures come back clean, then the frozen milk
is available by prescription and is dispensed locally.  Any extra available
milk can be shipped (packed in dry ice).  A conservative cost per oz (if
part of the costs are subsidized) is $2.50 per oz.  If an infant requires 25
oz per day, that's $62.50 per day.

To routinely maintain a supply of milk requires recruitment and support of
volunteer mothers, and to dependably process and ship requires trained
staff, a facility, equip and some sort of transportation system.  This is
not to say it shouldn't be done -- we're living proof it CAN be done!  It is
just to say that in order for it to be acceptable to the health prof.
community and to put no infants at risk, it must be done according to
standards.  If every community had such a facility it would not be so
difficult for the few milk banks in existance to supply the need.  I wish
there were a way to ship donor milk to orphanages all over the world, but
there is currently no super-structure that I am aware of that would support
such an effort.  Any individual or group who is interested in starting a
milk bank can take a look at our web page.  http://www.mmbaustin.org

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates, Austin, Texas
http://www.jump.net/~bwc/lactnews.html

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