AHN opens breast milk depot at Jefferson Hospital

Allegheny Health Network and the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank opened Allegheny County’s first milk depot at AHN Jefferson Hospital, creating a drop-off site for donor mothers.

Located inside the hospital’s Healthy Food Center, officials say the depot gives local mothers a convenient place to donate breast milk to infants in need across the region.

Donations will be accepted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The collected milk is kept in a designated freezer before being taken to the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank headquarters in Bellevue.

At the Bellevue laboratory, the milk is screened, tested and pasteurized in compliance with Food and Drug Administration and state regulations before distribution to hospitals, neonatal intensive care units and families. All AHN labor and delivery hospitals receive donor milk through the organization.

Donor milk, often called “bridge milk,” helps bridge the gap between birth and a mother’s own breastfeeding success. It is used in every neonatal intensive care unit across western Pennsylvania, primarily for critically ill newborns.

Approximately 15% to 20% of donated milk is distributed to outpatient infants who require it due to allergies, illness or delayed maternal milk production. Outpatient families receive donor milk directly at home after getting a prescription from a pediatrician.

Joy Peters, chief nursing officer at AHN Jefferson Hospital, highlighted the growing necessity of donor milk for vulnerable infants.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank through the successful launch of Allegheny County’s first milk depot,” Peters said. “As neonatal medicine continues to advance and more babies facing medical challenges survive and thrive, the need for bridge milk continues to increase.”

Denise O’Connor, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank, noted that regional health care providers have broadened their criteria for donor milk usage.

“Over the past decade, local hospitals have increased their use of donor milk to include a larger number of babies, including those who have gastrointestinal issues and cardiac issues. Many hospital systems have even begun using donor milk for some healthy babies when a mother’s milk hasn’t come in yet,” O’Connor said. “By partnering with Allegheny Health Network and like-minded organizations, we hope to increase donor participation, raise awareness about the ongoing need for donor milk and provide additional access points that help to facilitate the entire donation process.”

The new Jefferson depot is part of a broader regional system between AHN and MAMMB. AHN Suburban serves as a storage hub for donated milk, while lab technicians at AHN West Penn conduct donor pre-screening tests.

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