Benton hospital opens milk bank to benefit Arkansas infants

BENTON, Ark. – A hospital in Benton is opening a resource to provide milk for sick and vulnerable infants throughout Arkansas.

Officials with the Saline Memorial Hospital said in a Friday release it was opening a milk bank in support of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Milk Bank program.

Hospital officials said a space is being designated for women to donate milk that will be forwarded to the UAMS bank for screening, pasteurization and nutritional analysis. Once the milk is processed into the UAMS bank, it will be sent to hospitals throughout Arkansas according to need.

Officials said the Benton milk bank is the first facility of its kind in the state to supply donor milk to infants in need, including those in intensive care units. They anticipate this will improve babies’ outcomes.

Executive medical director of the UAMS Milk Bank Dr. Misty L. Virmani said the bank fills a critical need.

“We are very happy to partner with Saline Memorial in opening a UAMS milk depot because breastfeeding is so important to the health of women and infants, and we are thrilled to find partners in the state who are helping support families who want to breastfeed,” she said.

Virmani, who is also a UAMS professor of pediatrics and neonatology and director of breastfeeding medicine, added that breast milk is important for keeping vulnerable newborns healthy.

The Benton bank is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the hospital’s Woman & Infant unit on the third floor. The hospital is located at 1 Medical Park Drive, Benton.

Potential donors are encouraged to contact the hospital by calling 501-776-6300 to initiate a pre-donation screening through the UAMS Milk Bank. Additional information is available at uamshealth.com/uams-milk-bank .

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