Breast milk reduces health risks in infants, but not all babies have access — such as children born to surrogate mothers, babies placed in state care, or those who have a mother with health complications.
Women producing breast milk can now donate it at the Wyandotte County Public Health Department's new milk depot.
The human milk donation site opened in May and is a collection point for The Milk Bank, which then screens, pasteurizes and redistributes the milk to hospitals in the Midwest.
"This pasteurized donor milk diet reduces [babies] mortality by up to 75% and it can really help get them that head start they need," Mary Timmel told KCUR's Up To Date.
- Ashley Lause, manager of Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program, Wyandotte County Public Health Department
- Mary Timmel, regional advancement coordinator, The Milk Bank
- Michelle Finn, lactation team lead, University of Kansas Health System