On March 20 the OhioHealth Mothers’ Milk Bank opened the state’s second breast milk dispensary at First Steps Breastfeeding Support Center on the Kettering Health Washington Township campus. The dispensary allows those with the required prescription to pick up pasteurized human milk for their infants.

The OhioHealth Mothers’ Milk Bank, under the guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), provides pasteurized human milk to those infants whose mothers are unable to provide enough milk for their babies. It is one of just 33 milk banks in North America—30 in the United States and three in Canada. 

“When someone utilizes the milk dispensary—whether that be by donating or picking up—they’re not just contributing to the health of babies, they’re also supporting others who are on their breastfeeding journey,” said Katy Boyd, RN lactation consultant at First Steps Breast Feeding Support Center. “Safe and consistent access to supplemental donor breast milk relieves a lot of stress for moms who are experiencing an interval of low milk volume but still want to use only breastmilk to feed their babies.”

First Steps Breastfeeding Support Center also received a grant from the Ohio Lactation Consultation Association (OLCA) to distribute 78 free three-ounce bottles of pasteurized donor breast milk to community members who may not be able to afford donor breast milk for their babies otherwise.

How to donate

Interested donors are encouraged to email milkbank@ohiohealth.com or call (614) 566-0630 to arrange a screening phone interview. To become a human milk donor, mothers must take part in a screening process to ensure the quality and safety of the milk. The donated milk is pasteurized, frozen, and distributed by physician prescription.

See photos from the breast milk dispensary opening event below.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”421″ gal_title=”Breast Milk Dispensary at KHWT”]