Michigan's second donor milk bank opens at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital

A new entree is on the menu for premature and fragile infants in Henry Ford Jackson Hospital: donated breast milk, made available through the health center’s freshly opened milk bank. The bank is only the second one in Michigan to be accredited by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America — and only the 32nd on the continent.

A milk bank collects breast milk from mothers who have more than their babies need, screens, pasteurizes and tests it, then provides it to infants who need it, most of whom are in neonatal intensive care units.

The Henry Ford Milk Bank-Jackson has the capacity to process about 1,000 ounces of donor milk each day, pooling and treating milk in its on-site, FDA-approved facility.

When donor milk is needed

“We’re so very proud to be one of the few health systems in the country that provide this service,” said Bob Riney, President and CEO of Henry Ford Health in a statement. “Having our own milk bank improves our ability to promote the health and well-being of vulnerable infants in Henry Ford hospitals and our communities in a new and exciting capacity.”

Babies sometimes need donated breast milk as a stopgap measure if they can’t properly latch or if their own mother has not yet started producing milk. That can happen after a cesarean section or prolonged bed rest, or because of health conditions including diabetes, thyroid conditions, obesity, and severe stress. Adopted, fostered or orphaned infants can also benefit.

“We know that pasteurized donor human milk is the next best option for those babies that can actually help prevent some life-threatening illnesses,” said Erin McGreal-Miller, who manages the Henry Ford Milk Bank-Jackson. “When I look at this, I look at offering as many babies as possible the most nutritious start to their lives.”

Infant formula shortage sparked a national crisis

Babies unable to drink their mother’s milk would typically require infant formula. But the extreme formula shortage parents experienced during the pandemic exposed how flimsy our food system is when it comes to some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

The contamination-instigated shutdown of Michigan’s own Abbott factory in February 2022 abruptly took 43% of the country’s infant formula off shelves, leaving caregivers and health systems frantic to replace it and catalyzing a crisis. The U.S. Justice Department is now investigating the Sturgis, Michigan, plant’s role in what snowballed into a national shortage.

The formula crisis ramped up demand for donated milk nationally. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America dispensed nearly 10 million ounces in 2022 — an 8.4% increase over 2021, which was already a 20% increase over the year before. Despite a resolution to the shortage, that higher demand hasn't eased.

Having its own donated milk bank means that even if the availability of formula dips again, Henry Ford Jackson Hospital will be able to provide nutrition to ill or needy babies in its care.

Breast milk is served with a heaping side of health benefits

Breastfeeding advocates have long promoted greater availability of human milk, which has shown to be the healthiest food source for infants and can help prevent a host of illnesses and ailments throughout childhood and possibly beyond.

More recently, warnings about the long-term health effects of ultra-processed food call out infant formula for being the very first tentacle of a profit-focused industrial food complex. Formula often contains corn syrup, sugar and oils.

Indeed, the White House announced it was invoking the Defense Production Act to deal with last year’s formula shortage in part by sending Abbott Nutrition “priority orders of raw materials like sugar and corn syrup for infant formula.”

Formula can be the right choice for babies and families. But it's usually in a health system’s best interest to promote breastfeeding. The practice reduces an infant’s likelihood of dying from SIDS, developing food allergies or asthma, suffering from ear, nose, throat and sinus infections, struggling with obesity and even being diagnosed with childhood leukemia and auto-immune diseases.

More: A breast milk transportation service gets babies their milk, no matter where mom is

Europeans have much greater access to donated milk

Five years ago, the team focused on women and children’s health at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital put a milk bank on their list of pie-in-the-sky dreams. They wanted to improve rates of exclusive breastfeeding, to “have an impact on babies from the beginning, from the start, on their long-term health outcome,” said McGreal-Miller.

With just one other milk bank in the state, the precedent for one in Jackson was sparse. But the team looked to other countries with a much more generous milk bank presence. There are 15 accredited milk banks in the United Kingdom, which has a similar area as Michigan. Europe’s 750 million or so people have access to 282 milk banks, with 18 more planned.

U.S. interest picked up during the infant formula shortage, when lactating people in the community started calling to see whether they could help by donating breast milk. “I think the formula shortage crisis really expanded people’s awareness about feeding babies and all the different aspects of health and safety for doing so and the importance of donor milk,” McGreal-Miller said.

There's a reason it's called 'liquid gold'

While some mothers just want to help babies in need, for-profit platforms have also sprung up that allow people to sell their breast milk. The “Breast milk classifieds” on Onlythebreast.com contain 338 pages of ads from women looking to sell their milk for up to $5 an ounce.

The number of mothers selling breast milk has increased dramatically over the past few years, according to a website focused on gig work, which also mentions a Facebook group for buying and selling breast milk that currently boasts more than 36,000 members.

More: Foster youths who age out keep getting denied food assistance

The FDA recommends against acquiring breast milk directly from individuals or through the internet.

McGreal-Miller says she’s felt heartened by the interest in donating milk among women in southeast Michigan. Some have an oversupply, producing more than their baby needs. Some have babies who turn out to have an allergy, leaving them with a freezer full of unusable milk. And others struggled with breastfeeding at first, got help, and want to give back.

“It's been really inspiring just to see that sense of community and how much people want to help each other's children and want the best start for everyone in the community,” she said.

Anyone interested in donating or receiving milk can get more information at the milk bank’s website.

Jennifer Brookland covers child welfare for the Detroit Free Press in partnership with Report for America. Reach her at jbrookland@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Henry Ford Jackson Hospital opens an accredited human donor milk bank