National Milk Bank Now Accepting Donations Nationwide - 12/11/06

Dear National Milk Bank

It is my pleasure and duty to thank you wholeheartedly for your beautiful donation toward my work in establishing small breastmilk banks in various hospitals in Cameroon , W. Africa . You good American folk have moved forward this aspect of my pediatric work in the tropics by leaps and bounds. I am amazed and delighted in equal measure, for your wonderful input. I have in mind 3 other hospitals to which I will propose breastmilk banks, and I believe they will accept. They should do, for the evidence in favour of them is overwhelming . What more can I say than a humble “thank you both” on behalf of the tiny underprivileged poor premature babies and their mothers, in my corner of Africa.

Yours sincerely
Dr Peter McCormick

Now mothers can donate regardless of their location - 9/16/05

Westlake Village, CA - September 12, 2005 - National Milk Bank (NMB), the nation's first virtual human milk donation organization, has announced its official launch with the participation of its first donor. The donated milk will undergo a specialized pasteurization process and will soon become available for premature and critically-ill babies in need.

"We are so excited to accept our first donation," reports Paige Sheesley, Donation Coordinator for NMB, "this will be the first of many more to come." NMB was established in Southern California earlier this year for the purpose of collecting human milk from qualified donors across the United States. Potential donors undergo a rigorous qualification process which amongst other things, test for infectious diseases, medical history and lifestyle habits which can affect the safety and quality of breast milk.

Under an agreement with Prolacta Bioscience, NMB will send the collected milk to their facility for treatment and packaging. Prolacta, also located in Southern California, holds the patent for the proprietary pasteurization process which includes exposing donated milk to flash-heat, killing unwanted bacteria while preserving elements necessary for nutritional benefit. The treated milk is then packaged into 10mL syringes and prepared for shipment to infants in NICU's nationwide.

"Breast milk is the best possible nutrition for child development," explains Prolacta CEO, Elena Medo, "it contains hundreds of key elements that formula and cow's milk cannot duplicate. We understand the importance of supplying quality breast milk to premature and sick babies and are proud that our pasteurization process helps save lives by retaining fundamental human milk components."

Recent studies show that infants fed breast milk are less likely to experience allergies, infections including necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) and sepsis, and other medical conditions. Furthermore, breast milk has been proven to maintain pH levels in an infant's gastrointestinal tract, thereby potentially reducing the risk of ailments such as diarrhea and constipation.

Sheesley and the NMB team are passionate about the success of their organization. "It is so gratifying to know that the work we do here helps to save lives and aid in the healthy development of children across the U.S." NMB is currently looking for more potential donors to increase the available supply of breast milk for infants in need and ultimately aims to provide all NICU babies with a safe and steady supply of human milk.

About National Milk Bank:

The National Milk Bank (NMB) is a nationwide organization that collects donated human milk, ensures milk safety and quality and makes it available for infants in need. It exists to provide premature and critically-ill babies with the best possible nutrition for survival and healthy development by conveniently and confidentially collecting milk from qualified donors throughout the United States.