Frequently Asked Questions on Medolac Laboratories CGI Commitment to Action
What exactly is the campaign?
The Commitment to Action is a new, measurable campaign announced in September 2014 to help local partners extend the benefits of Mothers Milk Cooperative Membership to urban mothers. The Mothers Milk Cooperative is the only donor milk bank owned and controlled by its members, established to increase the supply of donor milk for use in clinical settings. Members are compensated for providing their surplus supply of donor milk to the cooperative but also can provide it free of charge as part of our pay it forward program (where the donor milk is in turn designated for compassionate use at no charge).
Why did Medolac start this CGI Commitment to Action Campaign?
We chose Detroit to pilot our Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action efforts because the enthusiasm of local partners like TechTown Detroit, their partners, and the Michigan Breastfeeding Initiative, who seek to bring those benefits to Coop membership to Detroit moms in a responsible and sustainable way. We are still developing those efforts but are quite excited by the knowledge and dedication of the community and state organizations we have met with as we work through logistical challenges specific to urban environments.
What is the status of the CGI Campaign?
We are currently working with local partners on a joint grant planning and implementation proposal as the next step in developing the initiative.
Is this the only donor campaign the company supports?
No, in fact, most members join the Mothers Milk Cooperative through word of mouth from other cooperative members, lactation consultants, their local hospital, or by learning about the cooperative through social media. While this initiative has the potential to result in meaningful economic empowerment for those mothers who choose to participate, we anticipate the number of members recruited through the CGI Commitment will only ever be a small portion of the total Mothers Milk Cooperative membership base.
Who are the members of the Mothers Milk Cooperative?
The Mothers Milk Cooperative was established on Mother's Day 2013 to address longstanding donor milk shortages that have kept donor milk from becoming the standard of care for all preterm infants in many neonatal intensive care units nationwide. (See e.g. http://www.cbs46.com/story/16056475/donated-breast-milk-shortage-across-the-nation) The Mothers Milk Cooperative represents a very diverse group of over a thousand dedicated members in 47 states, including many African American members, 179 members in Michigan and even a few members in Detroit itself, and is growing organically at a rapid rate. Their experiences have been overwhelmingly positive and many members have spoken out as advocates for cooperative milk banking citing the impact it has had on their lives, allowing them to continue breastfeeding their own babies longer, earn additional income, continue their education, or simply stay at home with their infant for a bit longer.
What safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of donor candidates and their infants?
The Commitment to Action program includes the participation of local partners, experienced health care professionals, already working in their communities. All Mothers Milk Cooperative donor candidates are pre-screened through an extensive, controlled questionnaire process in an effort to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the donor candidate and her infant are protected. Candidates then receive a blood draw at any LabCorp location nationwide. Blood screening is carried out through a nationwide partnership with the American Red Cross National Testing Laboratories, testing for infectious diseases and comprising the most extensive range of tests in the sector. Donor milk is also extensively screened and tested for drugs of abuse, contamination, adulteration and essential nutritional content. Once cleared, donor milk is pooled and processed, subject to additional nutritional and quality tests, before it is shipped to hospitals. A nutritional facts panel specific to each lot of Co-op Donor Milk is also provided.
Is processed donor milk available to urban hospitals?
Because of the dedication of our growing base of Coop members and high-volume processing, Coop donor milk is now being used by hospitals that could never before make human donor milk the standard of care due to barriers to access including the significant and continuing expense of establishing and maintaining a local milk bank, lack of predictable and sufficient supply, high shipping and handling expenses, and the high cost of donor milk itself. As a small, public benefit corporation with a commitment to increasing access to donor milk, our current effective price ($3.57 oz plus economical ground shipping) is substantially lower than the effective price of donor milk purchased from other milk banks (between $4 and $6 oz or more, and requiring expensive overnight shipping), and we are making every effort to ensure that Coop Donor Milk is equally available to urban, rural and suburban hospitals and hospital systems as we have a nationwide supply model.
Where can I find additional information?
Additional information about the Mothers Milk Cooperative Donor payment program can be found on their website: http://www.mothersmilk.coop/donor_faq .
The Commitment to Action is a new, measurable campaign announced in September 2014 to help local partners extend the benefits of Mothers Milk Cooperative Membership to urban mothers. The Mothers Milk Cooperative is the only donor milk bank owned and controlled by its members, established to increase the supply of donor milk for use in clinical settings. Members are compensated for providing their surplus supply of donor milk to the cooperative but also can provide it free of charge as part of our pay it forward program (where the donor milk is in turn designated for compassionate use at no charge).
Why did Medolac start this CGI Commitment to Action Campaign?
We chose Detroit to pilot our Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action efforts because the enthusiasm of local partners like TechTown Detroit, their partners, and the Michigan Breastfeeding Initiative, who seek to bring those benefits to Coop membership to Detroit moms in a responsible and sustainable way. We are still developing those efforts but are quite excited by the knowledge and dedication of the community and state organizations we have met with as we work through logistical challenges specific to urban environments.
What is the status of the CGI Campaign?
We are currently working with local partners on a joint grant planning and implementation proposal as the next step in developing the initiative.
Is this the only donor campaign the company supports?
No, in fact, most members join the Mothers Milk Cooperative through word of mouth from other cooperative members, lactation consultants, their local hospital, or by learning about the cooperative through social media. While this initiative has the potential to result in meaningful economic empowerment for those mothers who choose to participate, we anticipate the number of members recruited through the CGI Commitment will only ever be a small portion of the total Mothers Milk Cooperative membership base.
Who are the members of the Mothers Milk Cooperative?
The Mothers Milk Cooperative was established on Mother's Day 2013 to address longstanding donor milk shortages that have kept donor milk from becoming the standard of care for all preterm infants in many neonatal intensive care units nationwide. (See e.g. http://www.cbs46.com/story/16056475/donated-breast-milk-shortage-across-the-nation) The Mothers Milk Cooperative represents a very diverse group of over a thousand dedicated members in 47 states, including many African American members, 179 members in Michigan and even a few members in Detroit itself, and is growing organically at a rapid rate. Their experiences have been overwhelmingly positive and many members have spoken out as advocates for cooperative milk banking citing the impact it has had on their lives, allowing them to continue breastfeeding their own babies longer, earn additional income, continue their education, or simply stay at home with their infant for a bit longer.
What safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of donor candidates and their infants?
The Commitment to Action program includes the participation of local partners, experienced health care professionals, already working in their communities. All Mothers Milk Cooperative donor candidates are pre-screened through an extensive, controlled questionnaire process in an effort to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the donor candidate and her infant are protected. Candidates then receive a blood draw at any LabCorp location nationwide. Blood screening is carried out through a nationwide partnership with the American Red Cross National Testing Laboratories, testing for infectious diseases and comprising the most extensive range of tests in the sector. Donor milk is also extensively screened and tested for drugs of abuse, contamination, adulteration and essential nutritional content. Once cleared, donor milk is pooled and processed, subject to additional nutritional and quality tests, before it is shipped to hospitals. A nutritional facts panel specific to each lot of Co-op Donor Milk is also provided.
Is processed donor milk available to urban hospitals?
Because of the dedication of our growing base of Coop members and high-volume processing, Coop donor milk is now being used by hospitals that could never before make human donor milk the standard of care due to barriers to access including the significant and continuing expense of establishing and maintaining a local milk bank, lack of predictable and sufficient supply, high shipping and handling expenses, and the high cost of donor milk itself. As a small, public benefit corporation with a commitment to increasing access to donor milk, our current effective price ($3.57 oz plus economical ground shipping) is substantially lower than the effective price of donor milk purchased from other milk banks (between $4 and $6 oz or more, and requiring expensive overnight shipping), and we are making every effort to ensure that Coop Donor Milk is equally available to urban, rural and suburban hospitals and hospital systems as we have a nationwide supply model.
Where can I find additional information?
Additional information about the Mothers Milk Cooperative Donor payment program can be found on their website: http://www.mothersmilk.coop/donor_faq .
