Jasper, Ind.-based Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center is partnering with The Milk Bank, a nonprofit, to open one of the first breast milk collection sites in the area, effective Feb. 22, according to The Dubois County Herald.
As part of the agreement, the hospital will provide a convenient drop-off point for women to donate extra breast milk. The financial terms of the partnership, if any, were not disclosed.
The Milk Bank is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization that promotes community health by carefully screening donors and pasteurizing, freezing and distributing breast milk throughout the U.S.
Potential donors will be required to complete a written questionnaire and have their blood drawn at the hospital's laboratory facility free of charge.
"We are very excited to collaborate with The Milk Bank to provide a depot for the community and surrounding area," said Patty Scherle, RN, director of women and infant services at MHHCC. "Being a collection point will allow easy access for generous women who donate their milk. Together we can make a difference for those premature infants to help provide a healthier life."