Beverly Hospital Now Offering Free Donor Breast Milk Program
Initiative Provides Vulnerable Newborns with Vital Nutrients for Healthy Beginnings
Beverly, MA – Beverly Hospital’s donor breast milk program is now available for free to help all qualified newborn patients in the hospital’s care enjoy a healthy beginning to life.
Through a new initiative funded by Beverly Hospital, pre-term and low birth weight newborns as well as babies who meet certain medically necessary criteria will receive pasteurized donor breast milk at no cost to provide them with critical nutrition and protection from infection as they develop.
Newborn patients in either the Special Care Nursery or the Mother Baby Unit at Beverly Hospital may be eligible for free pasteurized donor milk if they weigh less than 1500 grams (3.31 pounds), are born before 34 weeks gestation, have low blood sugar levels and need additional supplementation, have high bilirubin levels, or meet other criteria determined at the discretion of their physician.
“Beverly Hospital is proud to offer this invaluable program for our most vulnerable patients and their families,” said Tom Sands, market president – North Shore and president of Beverly, Addison Gilbert, Anna Jaques and BayRidge Hospitals. “The availability of pasteurized donor milk will afford our newborns a better chance to thrive under the care of our dedicated team of health care professionals and underscores our commitment to providing the best possible care to our community.”
Beverly Hospital obtains its pasteurized donor breast milk from Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England, a nonprofit milk bank providing pasteurized donor milk to fragile babies throughout the Northeast. The donor milk arrives frozen after being heat-treated (pasteurized) and tested in a laboratory. Donors are lactating mothers with extra milk who are nonsmokers and not taking regular medications, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications or herbal supplements. The donors are screened for health behaviors and diseases and are not paid.
Breastfeeding is considered the clinical gold standard for infant feeding and nutrition, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Newborns who are breastfed have reduced risk of such conditions as asthma, severe lower respiratory disease, obesity, Type 1 diabetes, ear infections, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, gastrointestinal infections, and necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening condition for preterm infants, the CDC reports.
“There is overwhelming evidence surrounding the nutritional advantages and potentially lifesaving benefits of breast milk in supporting the growth and development of newborns,” said Anna McNicholas, RN, MSN, CCRN, nurse manager for the Special Care Nursery, Parent Education and Lactation at Beverly Hospital. “Offering access to donor human breast milk through the generosity of other women provides our birthing patients a comforting option in caring for their newborns when supplementation is necessary and also supports our patients who wish to exclusively breastfeed. We are thrilled to be able to support the long-term health of our newborns with this important initiative.”
To learn more about Beverly Hospital’s Donor Human Breast Milk Service, visit our website or call 978-816-2263.
About Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals
Beverly Hospital is a full-service 373-bed community hospital founded in 1888 that serves more than 13 communities across Massachusetts’ North Shore and Cape Ann. With a medical staff of more than 500 physicians, the hospital provides quality, patient-centered care in maternity, pediatrics, surgical, orthopedics and cardiology, as well as other specialties.
Addison Gilbert Hospital is a 52-bed community hospital located in Gloucester, MA. Since its founding in 1889, Cape Ann residents have turned to the hospital when they needed care. Specialties include radiology, cancer care, pain management, cardiology, chronic disease management, inpatient geriatric services and emergency medicine.
Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals are a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.
