Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank Expands Donor Access in Kent County
New milk bank depot offers a more convenient option for frequent donors
Pictured from L to R: Jamie Boshoven, supervisor, patient access services, Corewell Health; Emelia Allard, milk bank donor; Molly Back, milk bank donor; Amy Dykema, practice manager, women’s health, Corewell Health; Lindsay Starks, manager, Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank celebrate the opening of the new milk depot in Grand Rapids on May 20, 2024.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. − Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank based at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo announces the opening of its third milk bank depot drop-off location. Bronson began adding drop-off locations last year to make it easier for lactating moms across the region to donate their breast milk to infants in need.
The new depot opened on Monday, May 20 in Grand Rapids at Corewell Health Care Center, 2750 East Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525; hours are Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Kent County is one of the top three counties in Michigan that the Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank receives donations from, making Grand Rapids a prime location for a drop-off site. “We are thrilled that Corewell Health helped make this depot come to fruition. Having a depot in Grand Rapids will make it more convenient for donors in this area to donate their milk, plus it allows us to provide more babies with that extra nutrition and antibodies present in breast milk”, says Lindsay Starks, manager, Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank.
Employees at Corewell Health are trained to collect, intake and prepare the donated milk for transfer to Bronson. It is stored in a freezer at the depot until a milk bank staff member picks up the donation or it is shipped to the milk bank for screening, analysis and pasteurization in the lab. Once processed, the milk is dispensed to hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and/or outpatient families throughout Michigan and across the United States. In 2023, Bronson received over 350,000 ounces of donated breastmilk.
“Breastmilk is an incredibly important resource because it provides all the nutrients required for babies to be healthy and helps to prevent certain life-threatening conditions that patients in the NICU are at risk for,” said Gabe Laney, MSN, RN, director of NICU and pediatric services, Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “Mothers can experience many barriers that prevent them from breastfeeding or pumping so donor breastmilk truly becomes a lifesaving resource. We received 3,168 ounces of donated breastmilk in 2023 and hope this collaboration will increase access to donor breastmilk for babies by providing a convenient, local resource for mothers to donate.”
Interested donors must first be approved, pass a health screening and have bloodwork completed. Once approved, donors have three options to get their milk to Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank; they can ship it directly in provided coolers, drop it off at the milk bank or drop it off at a milk depot. As an added benefit and to encourage more donations – all fees for bloodwork and shipping costs are covered by the milk bank.
The need for donor milk is always high. If you are a healthy mother interested in donating your breast milk, visit bronsonhealth.com/milkbank or call (269) 341-6146 for more information.
