The new location for donor milk drop off in Arkansas is an example of how non-profit milk banks are prioritizing convenience for busy moms.
There is a party today in Batesville, Arkansas celebrating how smaller communities can join the effort to save premature and critically ill babies. Batesville, population 10,500, is located 80 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Independence County Health Unit there has partnered with Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas to provide a new convenient, community-based donor milk depot.
For event details: Batesville Grand Opening Independence County Health Unit is the fourth donor breastmilk drop off location in Arkansas and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donor milk is safely stored in a freezer before being shipped overnight to Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas where it is thawed, pasteurized, packaged and dispensed by physician prescription to over 100 NICUs as well as medically needy babies at home Independence County Health Unit in Batesville offers a wide variety of community health services including breastfeeding counseling, immunizations, communicable disease prevention and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program support. Independence County Health Unit Administrator, Sonia Nix says,
Donating breastmilk is such a wonderful and selfless thing to do for sick babies. Our location now gives mothers in our geographical area a convenient place to drop off milk. The goal for Independence County Health Unit is to generate community awareness about milk banking and help as many sick babies as we can.
For more information about how to donate milk in your community, please click here.