SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., ― Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center encourages area mothers with excess breast milk to donate to the Mothers’ Milk Bank.

Since 2018, Regional West’s Birth and Infant Care Center has been a collection site for the Mothers’ Milk Bank network, a Colorado-based nonprofit program benefitting babies nationwide. Area mothers who produce excess breast milk can drop off bags of milk with the Birth and Infant Care Center. The milk is tagged and safely stored in a freezer until it is ready to distribute to babies in need.

“Breast milk is a great source of vital nutrients, especially for medically-fragile infants,” said Erika Carmody, RN, MSN, interim chief nursing officer at Regional West. “We thank our donors for their generous gift.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfed children experience improved dental health and neurodevelopmental outcomes, in addition to decreased risk of SIDS, respiratory tract infections, and asthma. When mothers breastfeed, they experience health benefits such as decreased risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, in addition to lowered risk for type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Donors can drop off milk at the Birth and Infant Care Center entrance, located on the north side of Regional West Medical Center. All milk donations must be frozen and labeled with the full date that the milk was pumped, including the year, plus your last name and donor number. Please call the Birth and Infant Care Center at 308-630-1550 prior to arrival so an employee can come and collect the donation.

Women interested in donating breast milk may complete a donor application form at https://milkbank.rmchildren.org/how-to-donate-breast-milk/ or call 303-869-1888. A blood test is required and will be provided free of charge. To learn more about donation, visit https://milkbank.rmchildren.org/.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and the only Level II Trauma Center in Nebraska west of Kearney. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers and approximately 2,000 staff members, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative healthcare services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.