Methodist Fremont Health Partnering With Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa

Methodist Fremont Health is the newest collection site for the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa milk collection program. Milk from approved donors will be collected at Methodist Fremont Health, gathered by the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa and dispensed to locations across the United States. The program launched earlier this month.

If you have the gift of surplus milk, donating it to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa will help to satisfy the hunger and save the lives of babies who may be vulnerable, fragile, sick or born prematurely. In 2020, 86% of the milk donated to the Iowa milk bank was dispensed to 52 hospitals in 13 states.

Methodist Women’s Hospital and Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital also serve as milk depot collection locations. Methodist Fremont Health will become just the fourth collection site in Nebraska. Other depots are located in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.  

“We are very pleased to be part of this important initiative and to help meet the essential nutritional needs of babies throughout the country,” said Tracy Moore, lactation consultant and OB nurse navigator at Methodist Fremont Health. “We know we have many moms in our community and area who will be interested in participating, and we can’t wait to help make a difference in the lives of other families.”

All potential donors must pass a screening process that includes three steps:

• Verbal interview
• Written questionnaire including forms for health care providers
• Blood testing for HIV, hepatitis B and C, HTLV, and syphilis. The milk bank sends potential donors the blood kit, blood tubes, labels, etc., which they’ll take to a local lab to have their blood drawn.  

The milk bank will contact donors thereafter with their results and approval.

Once approved, donors can bring their milk donations to Methodist Fremont Health, 450 E. 23^rd St., for proper storage and collection via Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa standards and procedures. Milk deliveries will be by appointment only. To schedule an appointment to drop off a donation please contact (402) 396-3494.

Any mother interested in donating should contact the University of Iowa’s donor clinical coordinator for information on how to become an established donor. They can be reached by calling (319) 384-9930 or (877) 891-5347.