Who Can Become a Donor For the Milk Bank?

Introduction

Providing assistance to the milk bank is an essential condition for donor help that vulnerable recipients need. At the same time, not every woman can become a donor since the verification and preparation procedure requires a preliminary assessment of about one to two weeks. In addition, the number of people willing to provide assistance may be high, which can also delay the response to potential donors.

Donor Screening Requirements

The screening process for donated milk is costly, and one of the requirements for potential donors is to donate 75 ounces as an initial donation. One of the important conditions is adherence to the criteria necessary to cooperate with the milk bank on an ongoing basis. In case of questions regarding the possibility of becoming a donor, the attached form will help give answers to the main ones.

The conditions that should be observed to become a milk donor are as follows:

• Good health indicators and the presence of a child up to one and a half years old.
• Expressing consistently is imperative to supply enough breast milk. The minimum volume the milk bank requires is approximately 150 ounces over a given period, which helps cover the cost of expensive screening procedures.
• The loss of a child is not a reason for refusing to cooperate, and in case of proper storage conditions, donated milk is taken regularly.
• A blood test is a necessary procedure to identify potential health problems.
• The use of chemicals that promote the production of additional milk is prohibited. The list of drugs approved for taking in case of donation includes hormonal and contraceptive medications, as well as vitamin complexes.
• Canadian residence.
• Fluency in English.
• An opportunity to deliver expressed milk to a specific hospital or collection depot.

Reasons for Refusal

Despite the absence of problems with breastfeeding, some limiting factors can be the reasons for the refusal to donate milk:

• The continuous use of medications that promote milk production, as well as antidepressants.
• Smoking.
• Positive results for HIV status, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and Human T-lymphotropic Virus.
• The increased risk of HIV infection, for instance, a partner’s positive status.
• The child is over one and a half years old.
• The experience of living in individual countries (a detailed list can be provided on request).
• Drug use experience over the past five years.

Screening Procedure

The first contact with a potential donor can take place both in-person and by phone. In case of consent to the conditions described by a medical provider, a woman receives the necessary documents by mail or e-mail. This list includes consent for milk donation, medical history as reported by the potential donor, and consent for basic screening procedures, including donating blood. After receiving the forms back, the provider needs time to review them and send the referrals for analysis. After the tests for the absence of prohibited diseases are made, they are sent to the provider back, and in the near future, the woman receives an invitation to donate milk.

Questions During Screening

The main questions to ask a potential milk donor are as follows:

• Have you encountered a refusal to donate blood for health reasons?
• In the past year, have you had blood or organ transplant surgery, body piercing, subcutaneous injections, acupuncture, or electrolysis?
• Have you had any health problems requiring the adoption of pituitary growth hormone or a meninges transplant?
• Have you had any type of hepatitis in the past year or have you had contact with such a patient?
• Have you had intimate contact with anyone with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease?
• In the past year, have you or your partner had contact with HIV-positive patients or patients with Human T-lymphotropic Virus or hemophilia?
• Are there herbal supplements or herbal vitamins in your diet?
• Have you had cancer or tuberculosis in the past five years?

Procedures of Collecting and Storing Donated Milk

The following list of recommendations is a valuable guideline that can help make expressed milk safe for donation:

1. This is best to express milk at the same time of day. This will contribute to minimizing the impact on well-being and optimizing the baby’s feeding cycles.
2. Cleanliness is essential; therefore, this is critical for a donor to wash one’s hands thoroughly and dry them with a paper towel before expressing.
3. If special equipment is used for expressing but not a method by hand, for instance, a special pump, individual safety rules are to be taken into account:

• The pump parts need to be thoroughly rinsed in hot soapy water and rinsed off the parts with hot water.
• Complete drying is important; in this case, one can either allow the pump parts to air dry or use a paper towel. This is essential to store the device safely, for example, in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.
• The component parts of the device need to be disinfected regularly (at least once a day). Boiling is a traditional and convenient method, but washing on the top shelf of the dishwasher is also possible.

After milk has been expressed, this is crucial to use an adequate rapid cooling method to prevent spoilage. One of the following approaches can be used for this purpose:

• As a storage container, plastic bottles with lids may be utilized, which have been pre-washed and dried in accordance with the above scheme.
• Special sterile storage bags can be applied for donors’ convenience. They are commercially available online and are suitable for quickly cooling expressed milk.
• Glass bottles with lids may be used, but the procedure for washing and drying them should be exactly the same as in the aforementioned instructions.
• This is strictly forbidden to touch a clean container and its lids with dirty hands, both inside and outside. When expressing, the same container cannot be reused even if it is not visually contaminated. In addition, only one container may be utilized used at a time. This means that one cannot add new milk to an already filled container.
• To prevent damage to the container and milk, one should not fill the entire space in it. When frozen, the liquid tends to expand, and space (about one inch) is critical.
• All donated containers will not be returned in any form.
• To identify oneself, personal information should be applied to the container. With the help of a permanent marker, a donor should write one name, the date of expression, its time, and the volume received. For this purpose, one should not apply the inscription directly to the container but rather use adhesive tape.
• Expressed milk is taken frozen, and this is best to place the container at the back of the freezer to maintain a stable, low storage temperature and prevent defrosting.
• Deep freezing keeps breast milk stored for up to 12 months. With standard freezing (temperature about -16oC), this period is reduced to six months. However, the sooner the milk is delivered to the bank, the better since the maximum shelf life of one year may not allow the use of some donor products due to the expiration date.

Fearing for the safety of milk and its storage, donors should not refuse to store it properly. However, when checking in to the bank, a specific question should be written on the container, which seems relevant and can help optimize the storage procedure. Moreover, any health changes need to be reported to the bank’s employees immediately. This also includes risk factors, such as contacts with patients with dangerous illnesses. Individual restrictions apply to expressing: if within 12 hours, a donor has consumed alcohol or medications, including those on an herbal basis, this is more reasonable to refuse to express for a while.

Special safety regulations have to be observed in a number of cases. For professional advice, a donor can contact the BC Women’s Hospital & Health Center and ask the necessary questions. As individual nuances that require consultation, one should take into account the following ones:

• The illness of the child or anyone in the family since it may be directly related to the quality of breast milk.
• The appearance of a dangerous fungal infection on the nipples, mastitis, or a heavy blister. In addition, if the child develops thrush, this is also a reason to seek a recommendation.
• A donor has been vaccinated against any of the viral diseases.
• A donor or a partner has got a tattoo or noticed changes in the skin.
• Other questions can also be asked by the BC Women’s Hospital & Health Center at 604-875-2282.

Until a donor receives answers to one’s desired questions, they should not stop expressing milk. Despite a potential pathology and health problems, this procedure will maintain the level of expressed milk in the same volume as before. In addition, it will prevent the development of associated risks that might damage the breast; therefore, the pumping regimen needs to be maintained at the same level to avoid even more discomfort.

Delivery Procedure

The mode of expressed milk delivery can be either individual or through a courier. When deciding on self-delivery, donors should inform the Provincial Milk Bank of their intention in advance to agree on a date and time. In case courier services are required, as a rule, the bank will not be able to reimburse the cost of these services. However, conditions may vary from area to area in British Columbia. Therefore, to cover the cost of courier delivery, may contact several milk banks to find out which of them can reimburse delivery costs, thereby selecting an optimal variant.

Milk Banks’ Information

Preliminary contact with the milk bank is obligatory to agree on the time and place of delivery of expressed milk. Below is a list of banks, including their opening hours, addresses, and telephone numbers. By using this information, donors will be able to find the best place for themselves to interact and provide valuable assistance to vulnerable recipients, thereby making a significant contribution to the country’s healthcare.

Fraser Health
Abbotsford Health Unit: (604) 864-3400
104-34194 Marshall Rd. Abbotsford
Drop-off hours: 9:30 to 3:30 Monday to Friday. Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Park in a spot marked “Fraser Health permit parking”. Note license plate number and register at front desk.

Agassiz Health Unit: (604) 793-7160
7243 Pioneer Ave, Agassiz
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Closed for lunch 12:00-1:00 Closed weekends and Stat holidays.

Burnaby Health Unit: (604) 918-7605
300-4946 Canada Way, Burnaby
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Monday to Friday. Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free parking in back of the building marked “Visitor Fraser Health” or street parking.

Chilliwack Health Unit: (604) 575-5100
45470 Melholm Rd, Chilliwack
Drop-off hours: 830 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free street parking (hard to find), or pay parking on side lot (meter is at front of building).

Cloverdale Health Unit: (604) 575-5100
205-17700 56 Ave, Cloverdale
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday
*by appointment on Weekends and Stat holidays
Free parking – located in strip mall at 177B and Hwy 10

Delta North Health Unit: (604) 507-5400
11245 84 Ave, Delta
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free parking on site – enter driveway from 112 Street (Library on corner)
Delta South Health Unit: (604) 952-3550 (switchboard – ask for South Delta Public Health Unit) 4470 Clarence Taylor Cres, Delta (Ladner)
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Limited parking but available on-site closest to front door.

Guildford Health Unit: (604) 587-4750
100-10233 153 Street, Surrey
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free Street parking.

Hope Health Unit: (604) 860-7630
44 Park Street, Hope
Drop-off hours: 8:00 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
On-site parking.

Langley Health Unit: (604) 539-2900
20389 Fraser Highway, Langley
Drop-off hours: 8:00 to 4:30 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free parking.

Maple Ridge Health Unit: (604) 476-7000
400-22470 Dewdney Trunk Rd, Maple Ridge Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Underground parking – first hour free but ticket required from meter

Mission Health Unit: (604) 814-5500
7298 Hurd Street, Mission – First Floor
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Monday to Friday as pre-arranged by phone call with Mission Public Health Nurse
Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free parking in lot beside building – near Mission Memorial Hospital laboratory parking

Newport Health Unit: (604) 949-7200
200-205 Newport Drive, Port Moody Tri-Cities Public Health
(Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody) Drop-off: Please call ahead for arrangements Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
2-hour street parking available at Newport Village or underground parking across street Brown’s Restaurant

Newton Health Unit: (604) 592-2000
7337 137 Street, Surrey
Drop-off: 8:30 to 4:15 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Free parking on-site.

New Westminster Health Unit: (604) 777-6740
218-610 6th Street, New Westminster
Drop-off: 1:00 to 4:00 Monday to Friday unless otherwise arranged by phone Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Above BMO, underground parking available from Princess Street or at corner of 6 Ave & 7 Street

North Surrey Health Unit: (604) 587-7900
220-10362 King George Boulevard, Surrey
Drop-off: 1:00 to 4:00 Monday to Friday by pre-arranged appointment with North Surrey Breastfeeding Team.
Contact: Kathleen Ward-Driscoll 8:30-4:30 (604) 587-7930

White Rock Health Unit: (604) 542-4000
15476 Vine Street, White Rock
Drop-off: 9:00 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Limited pay parking in front of Berkeley Building. Some street parking and pay parking at Peach Arch Hospital.
Island Health

Victoria General Hospital: (250) 727-4212
1 Hospital Way, Victoria
Drop-off milk in Neonatal ICU. Please call before coming to hospital. Pay Parking available on site.
Northern Health
University Hospital of Northern British Columbia

(250) 565-2000
1475 Edmonton Ave, Parkwood Place, Prince George
Drop-off milk in Neonatal ICU. Please call before coming to hospital. Pay Parking available on site.
Vancouver Coastal Health

BC Women’s Hospital: (604) 875-3743
4500 Oak Street, Vancouver
Enter off Oak Street between 28th & 32nd Ave, turn right following road to Main Outpatient & Visitors entrance #93
The Milk Bank Reception Desk #1 is located in the main lobby across from the BC Women’s Auxilliary Gift Shop.
Drop-off hours: 8:00 to 4:00 Monday to Friday.
Please call before coming to hospital and for free parking instructions. Closed weekends and Stat holidays.

RavenSong Community Health Centre (604) 709-6400
2450 Ontario Street, Vancouver
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Parking in front of building
(between 8th & Broadway), upper and lower level.

Evergreen Community Health Centre (604) 872-2511
3425 Crowley Dr, Vancouver
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Parking in front of building or north side of Crowley Dr – passenger drop-off zone. Near Joyce SkyTrain Station

North Shore Community Health Centre (604) 983-6700
2121 Marine Drive, West Vancouver
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays
Free parking available at West Vancouver Community Centre – above ground and underground.
Vancouver Coastal Health Clinic area off main level hallway.

Richmond Public Health (604) 233-3150
8100 Granville Avenue, Richmond
Drop-off hours: 9:00 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Use 10-minute Loading Zone parking area. Pay Parking also available.

Squamish Health Unit (604) 892-2293
1140 Hunter Place, Squamish
Drop-off hours: 8:30 to 4:00 Monday to Friday Closed weekends and Stat holidays.
Call ahead to confirm.