Regional West Birth and Infant Care Center Encourages Mothers’ Milk Bank Donations

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., ― Women can still safely give the gift of human milk through Mothers’ Milk Bank donations at Regional West Birth and Infant Care Center.

Since 2018, Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center has been a collection site for the Mothers’ Milk Bank network, a Colorado-based nonprofit program benefitting babies nationwide. Area mothers who produce milk in excess of their babies’ needs can drop of bags of milk with the Birth and Infant Care Center. The milk is tagged and safely stored in a freezer until it is ready to distribute to babies in need.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, donating breast milk remains safe. All Mothers’ Milk Bank donors are screened for COVID-19 and asked to refrain from donating if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Donations are handled with personal protective equipment (PPE) and pasteurized using a special heat treatment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Both the Birth and Infant Care Center and the Mothers’ Milk Bank have implemented extra precautions to help ensure the safety of donating breast milk,” said Erika Carmody, RN, MSN, director of Regional West Birth and Infant Care Center. “We are committed to providing safe means for dropping off donor milk and encourage mothers to learn more on how they can help babies in need.”

According to the CDC, breast milk is the best source of nutrition for most infants and is recommended to protect against many illnesses, including COVID-19.

Donors can drop off milk at Regional West’s main entrance. Please call the Birth and Infant Care Center at 308-630-1550 prior to arrival so a staff member can come and collect the donation.

Women interested in donating breast milk may complete a donor application form at https://rmchildren.org/mothers-milk-bank/donate-milk/become-a-donor/ or call 303-869-1888. A blood test is required and will be provided free of charge. To learn more about donation, visit www.milkbankcolorado.org

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and the only Level II Trauma Center in Nebraska west of Kearney. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers and approximately 2,000 staff members, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.