BANGOR, Maine — Editor's note: The video attached to this story was published May 11, 2022.
Amid an ongoing baby formula shortage in the U.S., Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center announced Wednesday the opening of a donor milk depot in partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.
A donor human milk depot is a community location where donors who have completed the screening process, which typically takes two to three weeks, can drop off milk for shipment to Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. The milk bank's staff then screens donors and pasteurizes and tests the milk. After those steps, the milk bank dispenses it to babies who need additional milk.
The new depot will be open to receive milk donations beginning Monday, June 6, thanks to funding for a freezer to store the breast milk by Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Children's Miracle Network Hospitals’ program, the hospital said in a release.
“We exist to help babies thrive and are dedicated to stewarding safe, compassionate connections between families who have an abundance of milk and those with need,” Deborah Youngblood, executive director of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, said.
In addition to the upcoming Bangor depot, there are milk depots in Lewiston, Damariscotta, Rockport, Belfast, and two in Portland.
The Bangor depot will be located in the Northern Light Family Medicine and Residency practice at 895 Union Street, suite 12.
“The presence of a milk depot signifies a deep commitment to the health and well-being of the most vulnerable members of the community—the fragile babies whose lives depend on safe, pasteurized donor milk,” Duska Thurston, MD, Northern Light Family Medicine Residency, said. “We are delighted to partner with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast to serve the community in this way.”
Families and healthcare providers seeking more information on receiving or donating milk can check the milk bank’s website or call 617-527-6263 ext. 3.