PENNSYLVANIA, June 25 - birth weights or with congenital or acquired conditions, derive

significant health benefits and avoid devastating health

complications by receiving human milk; and

WHEREAS, Small amounts of donor milk for necessary

supplementation outside of the neonatal intensive unit (NICU)

care setting support the development of a healthy microbiome in

newborns and provide strong maternal breastfeeding support; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer milk donors are carefully medically

screened to ensure that they are healthy and able to donate; and

WHEREAS, Banked donor milk is predominantly pasteurized to

inactivate pathogens, tested for chemicals or substances that

could be injurious to high-risk infants and frozen for storage

and shipping to NICUs and to seriously ill outpatient infants;

and

WHEREAS, The work of the Mid-Atlantic Mothers' Milk Bank,

through its Statewide distribution of pasteurized donor milk,

yields decreased mortality rates, shortened hospital stays and

reduced rates of devastating complications in the NICU setting,

while also providing essential nutrition for outpatient infants

with debilitating health conditions; and

WHEREAS, The Mid-Atlantic Mothers' Milk Bank advocated for

the passage of Act 32 of 2023, which is known as Owen's Law,

providing access to donor milk for medically compromised

inpatient and outpatient infants on Medical Assistance; and

WHEREAS, The milk bank's dedicated team of employees

processes and distributes nearly 40,000 ounces of donor milk a

month to more than 82 hospital units and dozens of outpatients,

a 700% increase in production since the milk bank opened in

2016; and

WHEREAS, The expanded and growing utilization of donor milk

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