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The Milk Bank, which opened in September 2023, is located in the Monroe Building just off UAMS’ main campus in Little Rock. Image by Andrew Vogler

UAMS Milk Bank to Celebrate Milk Donors on May 10

By Andrew Vogler

| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Milk Bank will host a milk donor day on Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at its milk donation and treatment center located at 401 S. Monroe St. in Little Rock.

“With Mother’s Day celebrated this weekend, we thought it is excellent timing to host a community event for mothers to make milk donations but also to provide information to the community about the Milk Bank and how we can help support newborns and mothers in Arkansas,” said Misty L. Virmani, M.D., executive medical director of the UAMS Milk Bank, associate professor of pediatrics and neonatology and director of breastfeeding medicine. “Through this event, we also hope to educate people about the vital role that breastfeeding plays in an infant’s early development, which also promotes long-term health.”

During the event, Milk Bank staff will accept milk donations, provide donor screenings and give tours of the facility. Staff from the Arkansas Department of Health will be on hand to be offer maternal health screenings and administer limited vaccinations. Representatives from the UAMS Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission will also be at the event providing information about maternal and pediatric resources. Parents are also encouraged to bring their children, as there will be engaging activities for families.

The Milk Bank opened in September 2023. Located in the Monroe Building just off UAMS’ main campus in Little Rock, the Milk Bank focuses on the health of mothers and newborns in Arkansas through encouragement and support of breastfeeding. The Milk Bank helps ensure a ready supply of donor milk for sick and vulnerable infants in NICUs around the state, shortening the time it takes for regional hospitals to receive critical milk supplies and improving outcomes for babies.

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.

Since its opening, the program has experienced tremendous growth, supporting the creation of 11 new milk depots around the state, bringing the total to 14 facilities where milk can be donated. Milk depots are designated spaces for women to donate milk, which is then sent to the Milk Bank for screening, pasteurization and nutritional analysis. After processing, the donated milk is sent, according to need, to hospitals throughout Arkansas. Through this program, mothers in Arkansas can donate their milk, while also having a point of access for support if they need physical, emotional or spiritual care.

Arkansas has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the U.S., and decreased breastfeeding is a troubling trend that leads to serious health conditions in newborns and their mothers.

“Improving breastfeeding rates in Arkansas is critical because the health benefits for breastfeeding newborns and their mothers are quite remarkable as it lowers the risks of conditions such as sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and improving Arkansas’ high infant mortality rate,” said Virmani. “More successfully breastfeeding women will additionally decrease the maternal mortality rate due to lower risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Safe donor milk helps reduce the risk of certain disease in premature babies, some of which lead to death or significant disability.”

For information about how to donate milk to the UAMS Milk Bank, please visit uamshealth.com/uams-milk-bank. To contact the Milk Bank, please call 501-686-5355 or email milkbank@uams.edu.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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