Adventist Medical Center Opens First Human Milk Donor Depot in Portland, Oregon

World Breastfeeding Week is August 1st - 7th.

Courtesy: tuxjunction.net

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Today, in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week, Adventist Medical Center opened the first human milk donor depot for Portland, Oregon.

The depot, which is only the second in the Pacific Northwest, encourages and collects human milk donations for medically fragile infants and children.

Additionally, Northwest Mothers Milk Bank (NWMMB), has secured approval from the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) to develop the first human milk bank in the northwestern United States.

"A mother’s own milk is almost always the best source of nourishment for her baby, yet there are some situations where it is either not possible for a mother to breastfeed or to produce enough milk for her child," explained Peggy Andrews, registered nurse and lactation consultant at Adventist Medical Center, as well as vice chair for NWMMB.

"In the case of premature and sick children, human milk is particularly critical to improving health outcomes. Adventist is proud to help increase the availability of donor milk, and we’re excited to work with NWMMB to open the first regional milk bank."

Human milk is widely acknowledged in the medical community as the optimal source of nutrition. It is recognized for aiding in growth, immunity, protection against infection and the healing of damaged tissue.

Breast milk donations are used in the treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions, including premature birth, allergies, formula intolerance, cancer, organ transplant recovery and infectious disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Oregon and Washington have two of the highest breastfeeding rates in the nation. S

pecifically, Portland, Oregon moms exceed the national average for breastfeeding initiation of 73 percent, with more than 91 percent of the metropolitan area’s moms electing to breastfeed. Given such rates, the region has the potential to supply enough human milk donations to serve infants in need throughout the Northwest and other parts of the country.

The NWMMB, which is in the process of raising capital, is expected to open within the next one to two years. The bank will provide local donor screening as well as pasteurization, freezing and distribution of human milk by doctor prescription. Milk from the bank will fill Northwest demand on a needs basis before being distributed throughout the U.S.

Becoming a Breast Milk Donor

Located in Adventist Medical Center’s Family Birth Place at 10123 SE Market St., Portland, Ore., the donor depot is open Monday through Friday by appointment from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Women interested in becoming milk donors are encouraged to contact Adventist Medical Center’s donor depot at 503-251-MAMA, or to visit NWMMB’s Web site at nwmmb.org.

Adventist Medical Center

Adventist Medical Center (AMC), located in southeast Portland, is a nonprofit, 302-bed acute care facility, offering a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area.

AMC is a member of Adventist Health, headquartered in Roseville, California. The organization represents regional delivery networks spanning California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.