Blood collection establishments' partnerships with human milk banks: An operational diversification and community service avenue

Human breast milk is the ideal source of nutrition for infants, especially for those who have premature births. However, all infants do not have access to human breast milk through their birth mothers for multiple reasons. Pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM), which is obtained from screened milk donors, is used to help nourish these babies. This is made possible by human milk banks (HMBs). Although there has been an increase in the number of HMBs globally, there is the possibility that growing demand could outpace the supply of PDHM. One way to overcome this is to use blood donation centres (BDCs) as HMB depots. There are several synergies that uniquely position BDCs to partner with or serve as depots to augment the availability of PDHM for infants in need. This may also come with certain hurdles including protocols for screening, processing and storage of milk products along with associated legal and regulatory challenges. It is imperative to establish clear guidelines regarding all these matters that could be used universally. Lastly, public awareness and education will be needed to promote and practically implement the idea of using BDCs as human milk depots. This will help eliminate any cultural or social obstacles. This article systematically examines those collaborations and the benefits, risks and challenges associated with BDCs operationally facilitating HMBs' capacity to supply PDHM.