Community

The Milk Bank, CFD partner to open milk depot

Photo Illustration
Posted

The Crawfordsville Fire Department Paramedicine Center will again make history Monday when it partners with The Milk Bank to become Indiana’s newest milk depot -— the first to be located within a fire department.

A milk depot is a site where approved donor mothers can drop off frozen, surplus breast milk. The milk is transported to The Milk Bank in Indianapolis to be pasteurized and distributed to NICUs and outpatient families throughout the Midwest. Ideal candidates for milk donors are non-smoking women in good general health who take limited or no medications or herbal supplements. For clarification on eligibility, contact The Milk Bank at 317-536-1670 or visit themilkbank.org/donate-milk.

“The Milk Bank coming to this area provides a tremendous step forward in the care of families in Montgomery County and surrounding areas,” said Darren Forman, Crawfordsville Fire Department Community Paramedic and Project Swaddle coordinator. “This resource provides our mother’s the ability to provide breastmilk to our most vulnerable infant population.”

Freedom Kolb, The Milk Bank’s executive director, said, this is the first milk depot to be located within a fire department, and hopefully the first of many.

“As a strong proponent of community safety and public health, the Crawfordsville Fire Department was a natural collaborator,” Kolb said. “When community-based organizations partner together it not only maximizes resources, but also increases services and access to all residents.”

Mayor Todd D. Barton is glad this resource is now being made available in the community.

“It represents a significant advancement in our ongoing efforts to improve the health of infants and young families,” he said.

In the absence of an infant’s own mother’s milk, pasteurized donor human milk offers many of the same benefits, such as optimal nutrition, easy digestibility and immunologic protection against organisms and diseases. The Milk Bank aims to encourage breastfeeding mothers and provide PDHM for any infant or child with medical necessity. Breast milk collected by The Milk Bank is transported to their facility in Indianapolis to be pasteurized and distributed to NICUs and outpatient families throughout the Midwest.

The CFD Paramedicine Center is located at 218 E. Pike St. Parents interested in purchasing PDHM should visit themilkbank.org/dmx to complete an order form. If families are interested in purchasing more than 40 ounces, they may consider becoming an outpatient.

The Milk Bank Founded in 2005, The Milk Bank was established to improve health outcomes for premature and ill infants, foster better health for children and decrease health care expenditures. The Milk Bank receives human milk from carefully screened donors, pasteurizes, freezes and distributes it throughout the United States. As a non-profit, community-supported entity, The Milk Bank is the first and only donor human milk bank in Indiana. The Milk Bank is a proud member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.


X