The Mena Regional Health System, in support of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Milk Bank, has opened a milk depot in its health center in Mena, Ark.
The Mena Milk Depot is a designated space for women to donate milk, which will be sent to the UAMS Milk Bank for screening, pasteurization, and nutritional analysis. After processing, milk will be sent to hospitals throughout Arkansas.
“Our team at Mena Regional Health System is excited to partner with the UAMS Milk Bank in support of women and infants in our area,” said Amber Williams, RN, clinical director of Women Services for Mena Regional Health System. “We are proud to be the first milk bank donation point in our region, providing a critical service for our community. Our new milk depot will not only nourish infants but also foster a culture of support and care, where every drop symbolizes a shared commitment to the well-being of our community’s youngest members.”
The Mena Milk Depot is in the Women’s Center at the Mena Regional Health System building, located at 311 N. Morrow St., Mena, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If making donations after 5 p.m. or on the weekends, enter through the hospital’s main entrance. For more information or to schedule a drop off, call (479) 394-6100, ext. 2409 or 6401.
The first facility of its kind in Arkansas, the UAMS Milk Bank helps ensure a ready supply of donor milk for sick and vulnerable infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) around the state, shortening the time it takes for regional hospitals to receive critical milk supplies and improving outcomes for babies.
“We are very excited to be able to partner with the folks at Mena Regional to open a Milk Bank Depot in the area. This builds very important connections between UAMS and the Mena community to support breastfeeding mothers and make donation to the milk bank easier,” said Misty L. Virmani, MD, executive medical director of the UAMS Milk Bank, associate professor of pediatrics and neonatology and director of breastfeeding medicine at UAMS.
“We hope this partnership shows the community and partners in health care all around the state how important breastfeeding is to the health and well-being of both mothers and infants,” she added. “Supporting breastfeeding women helps reduce the burden of maternal and infant mortality in our state and creates a foundation for a healthier Arkansas. We hope that we can continue to build on this relationship in the future to continue to improve breastfeeding support and help all new mothers meet their breastfeeding goals.”
Previously, Arkansas hospitals relied on donor milk purchased from milk banks in Texas, Michigan, Illinois, and Oklahoma, costing more than $1 million a year. In 2021, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 225 establishing the creation of the milk bank and a special fund to help support the bank.
For information about how to donate milk to the UAMS Milk Bank, visit uamshealth.com/uams-milk-bank. To contact the Milk Bank, call (501) 686-5355 or email milkbank@uams.edu.