The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Williamson Medical Center has
received its first delivery of pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) from Mothers’ Milk
Bank of Tennessee. PDHM donated breast milk that has been screened, pooled, and
tested so that it can be dispensed to medically fragile and vulnerable infants.
“This partnership will ensure a ready supply of donor milk for sick and vulnerable infants in
our NICU, shortening the time it takes to receive critical milk supplies and improving
outcomes for our smallest patients,” said Erica Phillips, Williamson Health Neonatal Service
Line Coordinator. “Having access to donated breast milk will allow us to keep babies who
need this support in our NICU, which also takes the burden of traveling outside of our
community for the baby to receive care away from parents.”
Mothers’ Milk Bank of Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit milk bank. The organization
screens mothers prior to accepting their breast milk donations. Donor mothers deliver their
breast milk frozen to one of over 20 collection sites across the state. Their donations are
then delivered to the organization’s pasteurization facility in Murfreesboro, TN. There, the
lab team filters, mixes, bottles, pasteurizes and cultures donated breast milk before
distributing the donor milk to hospitals in Tennessee.
“We are thrilled to increase the access of safe, pasteurized donor human breast milk with
our new partnership with Williamson Health,” said Susan Campbell, MD, IBCLC, and
Executive Director of Mothers’ Milk Bank of Tennessee.
The Williamson Medical Center NICU received the first batch of donor milk from Mothers’
Milk Bank of Tennessee for Lily Hudson’s newborn son, Bo, who had been delivered early at
34 weeks. The new mom was elated that her baby was the first Williamson Medical Center
patient to receive donor breast milk. Donated milk will now be on hand for any patients
who need it.
“It’s amazing to know that my baby got the best nutrients he can get in the NICU when I
couldn’t give it to him,” said Hudson.
“Having this donor milk in house is another way that we are living out our mission to
provide more services for our patients close to home,” added Phillips. “This is something
we’ve been working on as part of our continued commitment to elevating excellence in all
that we do – from our tiniest of patients all the way up.”
Since opening on November 17, 2021, Mothers’ Milk Bank of Tennessee has collected breast milk from more than 900 donors and dispensed over 700,000 feedings to Tennessee
hospitals. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a milk donor, please visit
milkbanktn.org.
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