Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank: Taking a New Nonprofit from Idea to Action
The United States has the highest infant mortality rate among the world’s 27 wealthiest nations. For every 1,000 babies born here, six will die. A baby born in the U.S. is three times more likely to die than one born in Finland or Japan.
How can this be, when the U.S. claims to have the most advanced medical system in the world? Even more importantly – what can be done?
An Idea is Born
Since premature births are the leading cause of infant mortality, improving health outcomes for premature babies is of the highest priority. Luckily, one way to improve outcomes was staring us right in the face – a solution that is natural, extensively tested, proven effective, and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics: breast milk.
A mother’s ability to produce the exact right kind of milk for her baby is truly a miracle. But not all mothers can produce milk, especially when their baby is born prematurely. That’s where donor milk comes in.
The Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank is Launched
Tackling a problem like this starts with strong, committed leadership. Led by a visionary lactation consultant and an amazing board of medical advisors, the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank (formerly Three River’s Mothers’ Milk Bank) began with a sound business plan. That plan included a list of action items that would help turn the Milk Bank into a reality – and that’s where Denny Civic Solutions came in.
First things first – DCS captured a deep understanding of the history and facts in order to comprehend the science, benefits, and concerns that surround donor breast milk. We learned that many countries have been using donor milk for years, that the science backs the idea 100 percent, and that donor milk can reduce length of hospital stays, cut down costs, increase breast feeding rates, and – most of all – save lives.
Building the message – We developed the overall theme with the powerful “An Ounce” campaign, working with a longtime advertising partner of ours, Blender, Inc. We crafted specific messages for each of our targeted audiences – funders, health care providers, insurance companies, donors, mothers, and public officials.
Raising the funds – we developed and implemented a fundraising campaign resulting in $1.5 million raised to date, exceeding almost every other milk bank in the United States in the process.
Setting the standard – we worked from the bottom up and the top down to finally get 100 percent of Level 3 and up NICUs in western Pennsylvania to accept MAMMB donor milk – the previous number had been zero. Statewide, that number went from under 50 percent to more than 75 percent.
Making it sustainable – to become a truly sustainable nonprofit, MAMMB had to increase its sales in order to lower costs and grow. That was where our friend and frequent collaborator DMMConsulting came in, working with MAMMB to make donor milk the standard of care in NICUs for infants with serious medical needs.
Expanding the Impact
The Milk Bank is now running on all cylinders. After providing 57,000 oz. of milk in its inaugural year, MAMMB now distributes more than 300,000 ounce annually. And after its initial focus on Pennsylvania’s NICU’s, MAMMB has hugely extended its reach to now serve infants in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and West Virginia as well.
Yet the single best measure of success is MAMMB’s ability to improve outcomes via its donor milk: one of Pennsylvania’s largest maternity hospitals reduced its cases of surgical necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) – the most serious form of a highly prevalent gastrointestinal emergency among preterm infants – from 11 to 1 in one short year. That reduction saved millions of dollars in health care costs, reduced hospital time, and most of all, saved the lives of Pennsylvania’s youngest residents.
Changing Policy, Changing Lives
With 51% of Pennsylvania babies born to mothers covered by Medicaid, we worked with the Milk Bank, DMMConsulting, and the PA Department of Human Services to reimburse the cost of donor milk for Medicaid infants in NICUs.
But it didn’t stop there.
In order to better protect PA infants and establish strict safety standards for donor milk and the milk banks that distribute them, in 2019-20 Denny Civic Solutions worked with the Milk Bank on the successful passage of the Keystone Mothers’ Milk Bank Act. This forward-thinking legislation ensures that donor milk in Pennsylvania comes from a licensed, fully regulated milk bank in Pennsylvania.
And then, in 2023, another huge win for PA’s medically fragile infants. Denny Civic Solutions and DMMConsulting once again worked alongside MAMMB to secure the successful passage of Owen’s Law, which expanded the list of qualifying conditions where Medicaid will now cover the cost of donor milk for both inpatient and outpatient infants. What does that mean? Simply put, that more infants now have access to this lifesaving medicine.
As we continue our partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank, all of the success to date tells us one thing: the sky’s the limit for this incredible organization and the families they serve.
