Human Milk Banks

Ideally, breast milk comes from a baby's own mother. But when this is not possible, banked donor milk provides a valuable nutritional and immunological resource. For special-needs infants, such as premature infants and those who exhibit formula intolerance, severe allergies, fail to thrive on formula or have certain other medical conditions, donated human milk may be required not only for health, but for survival.

Human milk banks screen donors, and collect, screen, process, and dispense donor human milk. Because the milk is dispensed to unrelated recipients, every precaution is taken to provide a safe product, and the milk is only dispensed by prescription.

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America was established in 1985 as the professional association for donor milk banks in North America. HMBANA is a nonprofit organization which reviews and revises guidelines for donor milk banking, shares information among experts on human milk, provides information to the medical community, acts as a clearinghouse for member milk banks, and encourages research on the unique properties of human milk.

Contact information:

HMBANA
1500 Sunday Dr., Suite 102
Raleigh, NC 27610
Telephone: (919) 861-4530
Fax: (919) 787-4916
Web site: http://www.hmbana.org*

 

Location of Human Milk Banks in North America:
Mothers' Milk Bank P/SL Medical Center Denver, CO (303) 869-1888	Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin 900 E. 30th Street, Suite 101 Austin, TX (512) 494-0800 http://www.mmbaustin.org*
Mothers' Milk Bank Valley Medical Center San Jose, CA (408) 998-4550	Lactation Center & Mothers' Milk Bank WakeMed Raleigh, NC (919) 350-8599
Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa Children's Hospital of Iowa University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Iowa City, Iowa  (877) 891-5347 toll free	Banco de Leche Veracruz, Mexico + 52 55 14 45 51
Mother's Milk Bank C & W Lactation Services Vancouver, B.C., Canada (604) 875-2282

National Commission on Donor Milk Banking

The National Commission on Donor Milk Banking was convened by the American Breastfeeding Institute, a nonprofit organization, for the purpose of investigating quality issues in the collection and storage of donor milk and recommending quality standards.  The Commission provides audits for health care providers in the collection and storage of breast milk, and develops and implements systems to protect human milk donations through a nation-wide network of hospitals and other medical facilities.

Contact information:

Address: 
Lois D.W. Arnold MPH, IBCLC
President & CEO
National Commission on Donor Milk Banking
8 Jan Sebastian Way #11
Sandwich, Massachusetts 02563

Telephone: (508) 888-9366
Telefax: (508) 888-8050 
E-mail: milkbank@capecod.net

* Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. This link does not constitute an endorsement of this organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.

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This page last updated May 22, 2003

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity