Lake-Geauga WIC’s Milk Bank Depot reached their one-year anniversary after collecting over 6,000 ounces of donated breastmilk from just a handful of local mothers. Back in January of 2024, WIC opened their first Mothers’ Milk Bank Depot site where they accepted breastmilk donations from mothers from all over Northeast Ohio. The milk WIC collects is added to the nearly 35,000 ounces of donated breastmilk that eventually reaches more than 50 U.S. hospitals per month. This milk can be life changing for premature and ill babies who are unable to breastfeed.
All 6,000 ounces from the eight mothers in Northeast Ohio were pre-screened and pre-approved before dropping their milk off at Lake-Geauga WIC. The breastmilk is then frozen and shipped to Mothers Milk Bank located in Columbus, Ohio where the milk will remain frozen until ready for pasteurization and culturing. Pasteurization is a process of heating milk to a certain temperature to kill bacteria. The milk will then be cultured which is a process that tests for the presence of bacteria. Once that process is finished, the milk will be frozen again until it’s ready to be sent to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies in need all over Ohio and beyond.
How You Can Help
Follow these steps from Ohio Health to donate breast milk:
- Complete the initial phone screening to check your eligibility
- Read the Mothers’ Milk Bank information packet
- Complete a medical and lifestyle history review
- Complete a medical release form signed by you (the donor) and your healthcare provider for both you and your baby.
- Consent to receive a blood test to screen for HIV, Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis.
Approved mothers can start donating their extra breastmilk to Lake-Geauga WIC in Painesville as soon as they’re able.
Call the Mothers’ Milk Bank at (614) 566-0630 to start the process today or email MilkBank@OhioHealth.com. Call (440) 350-2552 to learn more about Lake County’s local drop off site located at Lake-Geauga WIC, 89 Chester St., Painesville.
