HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Milk Bank Now Accepting Donations

O’FALLON, Ill. — In October 2023, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Women and Infants Center partnered with Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes (WGL) to open St. Clair County’s only milk dispensary where families can purchase safe, pasteurized breast milk. St. Elizabeth’s Milk Bank is proud to now accept milk donations as St. Clair County’s only breast milk depot.
 
Donations from Mothers’ Milk Banks WGL are delivered to hospitals in Wisconsin and Illinois in need of extra milk. This joint effort increases access to lifesaving, critical nutrition for pediatric patients in need. Donor milk is primarily used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or the postpartum unit.
 
“Breast milk is an essential nutritional therapy that provides numerous benefits, including infection-fighting factors, growth hormones and improved nutrition and digestion to newborns,”
shares Jennifer Swank, RN, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) at St. Elizabeth’s Women and Infants Center. “We are grateful that we are able to not only provide milk for the members of our community but also be a resource for donations to continue to help families and other hospitals in the Western Great Lakes area who are in need of additional milk.”
 
St. Elizabeth’s Milk Bank is open to the public for families to donate milk or purchase for short-term emergency use. We partner with Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes to ensure the safety of pasteurized breast milk through screening, processing and dispensing guidelines established by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA).
 
For more information about donating or purchasing milk, visit https://www.hshs.org/st-elizabeths/services/womens-health/milk-dispensary
 
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