Methodist Charlton becomes 40th collection site for donor milk
Partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas provides more milk for babies in need
At Methodist Charlton Medical Center, we know good nutrition and lifelong health begins in the womb and continues with breast milk and beyond. That’s why we’re partnering with Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT) to offer convenience for moms to drop off their extra milk at the newest collection site on campus.
Located at 3500 W. Wheatland Road, Methodist Charlton is about 20 minutes southwest of downtown Dallas and will be celebrating 40 years of serving the community this December. The hospital’s lactation office on the first floor by the Outpatient Admitting entrance accepts breast milk donations Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to5:00 p.m. and on weekends from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Methodist Charlton has been designated a Texas Ten Step Hospital for Breastfeeding Care and Support, and the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and International Lactation Consultant Association award for excellence in lactation care.
“It is incredibly generous for mothers to donate their extra breast milk and we want to make it easier and more convenient for our mothers here in southwest Dallas and surrounding areas,” says Reba Godfrey, who serves as Lactation Services Coordinator at Methodist Charlton.
Collecting donor milk for pasteurization at Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas is accomplished in many ways; most commonly through collection sites called milk “depots”. Approved donor moms can freeze the extra milk their babies don’t need and take it to a depot close to home. Depots safely store donations in freezers before it’s transported to the milk bank for processing. Upon arrival, frozen milk is logged into a sophisticated bar code and tracking system. Milk is then thawed, pasteurized and tested for bacteria before it is packaged and dispensed to premature and critically ill infants.
Eighty percent of donor milk is dispensed by physician prescription to over 100 hospital NICUs. Twenty percent is dispensed by physician prescription to medically needy babies at home. MMBNT is currently on track to process over 500,000 ounces in 2015.
Methodist Charlton’s first milk donor is an employee at Charlton, Erandy Rivera. She says, “My baby and I are so happy to be able to share my extra breastmilk to help fragile and sick babies and it is so convenient to be able to drop off my milk close to home.”
About Methodist Health System
Guided by the founding principles of life, learning, and compassion, Methodist Health System provides quality, integrated care to improve and save the lives of individuals and families throughout North Texas. Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Methodist Charlton Medical Center, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, Methodist Richardson Medical Center, and Methodist Family Health Centers are part of the nonprofit Methodist Health System, which is affiliated by covenant with the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Contacts:
Calvert Collins Bratton
(214)886-9354
CalvertCollinsBratton@mhd.com