Milk bank established in Perry County

A charitable project to help provide milk to fragile babies in neonatal intensive care units around the country has made its way to Perry County.
The Perry County Health Department has partnered with the Milk Bank to open a new milk depot in Pinckneyville. This site will provide a drop-off location for women to donate extra breast milk for processing. Founded in 2005 as the Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank, the Milk Bank was established to improve health outcomes for premature and ill infants, foster better health for children and decrease health care expenditures. The Milk Bank receives human milk from carefully screened donors and then pasteurizes, freezes and distributes it throughout the United States.
The Perry County milk depot, which held a grand opening this week, joins four other milk depots in Illinois. A milk depot is an accessible place for women to drop off their milk before it is shipped to the Milk Bank for pasteurization and distribution. Milk depots make the formal donating process more convenient.
"The Milk Bank hopes to continue forging partnerships with organizations throughout the Midwest to make the process of human milk donation easier for donor moms and families, while also helping to support breastfeeding in local communities," said Janice O'Rourke, executive director of the Milk Bank.
Mothers who are interested in donating milk can call to set up a phone consultation with the Milk Bank's donor mother coordinator. Individuals then follow up with a written questionnaire and a blood draw at a local lab, all at the Milk Bank's expense.
The local milk bank is on site at the Perry County Health Department, located at 907 S. Main St. in Pinckneyville. For more information, call 618-357-5371 ext. 106 or visit themilkbank.org.