Mothers’ Milk Bank

Health and Well-Being

Geography: United States

Founded: 1999

Address:

2911 Medical Arts Street
Austin, TX 78705

About the Mothers' Milk Bank

The Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accept, pasteurize and dispense donor human milk by physician prescription, primarily to premature and ill infants.

History

In early 1998, two Austin neonatologists, Dr. Sonny Rivera and Dr. George Sharpe, invited other healthcare providers to discuss the formation of a milk bank to serve the Central Texas region. Drs. Sharpe and Rivera had observed that the tiny preterm and ill babies in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) they supervised fared better on human milk. Citing the medical literature that documented better health outcomes and lower care costs for infants receiving mothers’ milk – and noting that the nearest milk bank was in Denver – the two physicians gathered support from their hospitals and colleagues to go ahead with the project.  An advisory board was created and a name was chosen: The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin.

Since the milk bank’s official opening in 1999, Mothers' Milk Bank has experienced much growth and success. Thanks to the dedication of their ever-growing numbers of milk donors, volunteers, supporters, and staff, the Mothers’ Milk Bank celebrated its 10th anniversary of providing milk to preterm and medically fragile babies in Texas and across the U.S.

In February 2010, the Mothers’ Milk bank moved to larger offices that dramatically increased the organization’s capacity and visibility. This expansion was possible through a significant grant from the St. David’s Foundation and other funders. In addition, St. David’s Medical Center has provided in-kind office and lab space for the milk bank for its entire history, enabling the organization to focus its efforts on its mission of helping premature and fragile babies thrive.