celebrate the grand opening of Long Island’s first breast milk depot for mothers that wish to donate extra breast milk to help save lives and improve the health of vulnerable premature babies.
Lauren G. Macaluso, MD, FAAP, IBCLC, PC, of Macaluso Medical, a division of Allied Physicians Group, is a specialty Breastfeeding Medicine practice exclusively dedicated to mothers that are breastfeeding their babies. “I am proud to have a medical practice committed to the mother infant dyad. It is thrilling to facilitate breastfeeding mothers in helping other mothers to provide breastmilk to their babies,”states Macaluso. “Breastmilk is the norm for infant feeding, and it is wonderful to help more infants have access to human milk.”
The United States has 21 milk banks with five others, including The New York Milk Bank, in development. “I am truly excited to welcome the opening of Long Island’s first breast milk depot,” says assemblywoman Michaelle Solages. “The benefits of breast milk are well established. with the opening of Long Island’s first milk depot, we are providing our youngest New Yorkers access to this life-saving nutrient. Also with the opening of the New York Milk Bank in April 2016, it means we will be able to meet the high demand for donor breast milk in New York State. I thank Dr. Lauren Macaluso, Allied Physicians Group, and the New York Milk Bank for their support and dedication to improving the health and survival of infants.” The New York Milk Bank will open approximately 20 more depots across the state by the end of the year.
Currently, the milk donated to the N.Y. depots is sent out of state for processing and only a portion is returned. Once The New York Milk Bank is open, this breast milk will stay in New York and will be provided to hospitals and the community at large.
“We are excited to have these depots open and operational so that the hundreds of lactating mothers who have contacted us can begin donating their excess breast milk,” says Julie Bouchet-Horwitz, founder and executive director of the New York Milk Bank, as well as a lactation consultant and family nurse practitioner in the Hudson River Valley. “The smallest preterm infants are the most in need of donor milk. In fact, in 2012, these infants in New York received only 11,000 ounces of donor milk from out-of-state suppliers; an estimated 200,000 ounces are needed just for the smallest and most premature infants.”
Until The New York Milk Bank opens in early April, breast milk delivered to Lauren G. Macaluso, MD, FAAP, IBCLC, PC of Macaluso Medical by donor moms will be sent to an Ohio facility for testing and pasteurizing.
About the New York Milk Bank
The New York Milk Bank Inc. is dedicated to improving the health and survival of infants in need by providing them with safely pasteurized donor human milk when their mothers’ own milk is unavailable or insufficient.
Medical research has proven that human milk is superior to artificial baby milk (aka “infant formula”), particularly for vulnerable infants born prematurely. In fact, premature infants were found to be four times more likely to die when breast milk was unavailable. Common complications include higher infection rates, chronic lung disease and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The risk of developing severe NEC requiring surgery is up to 1,200 percent greater in premature infants fed infant formula and can cost more than $300,000 per case. The establishment of a New York Milk Bank will save an estimated 100 lives each year and save millions of dollars, based on current NEC and breastfeeding rates in New York State. In addition, observational studies have demonstrated that premature infants fed human milk have better feeding tolerance, shorter hospital stays, fewer re-hospitalizations, decreased incidence of diabetes and hyper-tension later in life, and superior developmental outcomes.
While most mothers of newborn infants produce enough milk, mothers of premature and sick infants often have difficulty providing adequate amounts of milk. The use of pasteurized donor human milk, from mothers that produce more than is needed for their own children, is recommended by the world Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Surgeon General and the NYS Commissioner of Health. However, there is currently not enough donor human milk to meet the demand. The quantity of dispensed donated human milk has tripled from 1.1 to 3.7 million ounces in the U.S. since 2008; however, 9 million ounces is needed to help the smallest preterm infants (born weighing less than 1,500 grams).
For more information, visit NYMilkBank.org.
