LANSING (WKZO) — State Rep. Erica Geiss is proposing a set of standards for the creation of Breast Milk Banks in Michigan.
Currently the only operating Bank is a non-profit at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, which has seen steady growth and is working hard to meet demand.
Geiss says several for-profit firms are considering their own milk banks, and she says standards are needed to assure that donors are adequately screened, and the milk tested and pasteurized to protect babies.
Her bills would require that the firms also provide milk to neo-natal intensive care units, where they have found that mother’s milk can greatly improve a baby’s chances of survival.
