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Saturday 14 May 2022
of the Mothers' Milk Bank
in Colorado, advises those
looking for milk that search-
ing for donors on their own
can carry risks.
"We want to make sure
that these moms are be-
ing as safe as they can
and meeting the needs of
their infant, so consulting
with their health-care pro-
vider on how to meet those
needs is the best way to
go," she said.
The shortage creates dif-
ficulties particularly for
lower-income families after
the recall by formula mak-
er Abbott, stemming from
contamination concerns.
The recall depleted many
brands covered by WIC, a
federal program like food
stamps serving women, in-
fants and children, though
it now permits brand substi-
tutes.
On Friday, Agriculture Sec-
retary Tom Vilsack sent a
letter to the head of Abbott
Laboratories expressing
what he called his "grave
Rebecca Heinrich, director of the Mothers' Milk Bank, loads frozen milk donated by lactating mothers from plastic bags into bottles
for distribution to babies Friday, May 13, 2022, at the foundation's headquarters in Arvada, Colo. concern regarding the ac-
Associated Press cessibility of safe infant for-
mula," noting Abbott holds
Continued from Front liters) after the birth of her The Human Milk Banking man Milk 4 Human Babies. infant formula contracts in
Biden's administration also first child, and wasn't plan- Association of North Amer- Kastelein stopped breast- the federal WIC program.
said Friday that formula ning to do it again. ica, an accrediting orga- feeding after getting recur- Vilsack asked that Abbott
maker Abbott Laboratories "I thought 18 gallons was nization for nonprofit milk ring infections, but tried to continue a program that
committed to give rebates sufficient for one person," banks, is seeing a "major begin re-lactating in March provides rebates for alter-
through August for a food she said. "If I hadn't heard increase" in demand, ac- after the formula recall, native products includ-
stamp-like program that of the shortage, I wouldn't cording to Lindsay Groff, with little success. ing formula for competi-
helps women, infants and be going through the pro- the group's executive di- "Emerson is allergic to most tive brands, which it had
children called WIC. cess again, just because rector. She estimates inqui- of the formulas, so it's been been doing on a month-
At the Mothers' Milk Bank I have three kids and it's a ries from parents seeking to difficult to find something to-month basis. The White
Northeast, based in New- little chaotic around here." fill the formula gap are up he's not allergic to," she House said Friday Abbott
ton, Massachusetts, interest She has pledged at least 20% in recent days. said. committed to the rebates
in donating and receiving 150 ounces of her milk, but Groff called the shortage In stepped Hannah Breton through the end of August.
milk because of the short- said she expects to give a "crisis" and said it's not as of Naugatuck, Connecti- The Biden administration
age has spiked. Typically, much more than that. simple as parents just sup- cut, who had been pro- said it's working with states
the milk bank gets about "I'm very blessed with be- plementing with donated ducing more milk than her to make it easier for WIC
30-50 calls a month from ing able to produce milk, human milk, because the 2 1/2-month-old son needs. recipients to buy different
people looking to donate. so I just felt I needed to do vast majority of those sup- She's been giving Kastelein sizes of formula that their
On Thursday alone, 35 calls something," she said. plies are earmarked for about 60 ounces of milk benefits might not currently
came in from potential do- She said in the past she has babies with medical condi- every two weeks. That's cover. Abbott has said that
nors, said Deborah Young- shipped her frozen milk in tions. enough to supplement her pending Food and Drug
blood, the bank's execu- special containers to Den- "If people can donate, now formula supply and keep Administration approval, it
tive director. ver, but this time, her local would be the time because Emerson fed. could restart a manufactur-
"It's interesting the first sort hospital is taking the dona- when we have more of an "She asked a bunch of ing site "within two weeks."
of response that we got tions and she can just drop inventory we can look be- questions — what medica- The company would be-
was from potential donors them off. yond the medically fragile," tions I'm taking, if any, that gin by producing EleCare,
— so people responding It's not just donors, though. she said. kind of thing," Breton said. Alimentum and metabolic
to the formula shortage Parents desperately seek- Parents are also turning to "So we decided, 'OK, that's formulas and then start
with sort of an amazing, ing nutrition for their babies online breastmilk-swapping perfect.' So, she comes by production of Similac and
compassionate response are pursuing milk banks as forums to meet their ba- every couple weeks and other formulas. Once pro-
of how can I be part of the well. bies' needs. picks up the milk I've been duction begins, it would
solution?" she said. At the Massachusetts milk Amanda Kastelein, a moth- saving for her." take six to eight weeks for
Youngblood was talking bank, about 30 people er of three from Middlebury, "I do feel helpful," she add- the formula to be available
about people like Kayla called looking for milk be- Connecticut, has been ed. "It's exciting and re- on shelves.
Gillespie, a 38-year-old cause they couldn't find supplementing the spe- warding that I can give to On Tuesday, the FDA said
mother of three from Hays, their baby's usual formula, cial formula she needs for a mom that can't find what it was working with U.S.
Kansas. Gillespie first do- Youngblood said. That's up 10-month-old Emerson with she's looking for, and if her manufacturers to increase
nated to the Mothers' Milk from nearly no calls at all, breast milk from a mom she son can't take formula, I their output and streamline
Bank in Denver six years since the milk bank typical- found on a peer-to-peer mean, it's scary. paperwork to allow more
ago, giving 18 gallons (68 ly serves hospitals. Facebook page called Hu- Rebecca Heinrich, director imports.q