For babies born prematurely or with health problems, human milk can drastically reduce the risk of complications — but until now, breastmilk donated from Utah has had to be shipped around the Mountain West before it could be fed safely to babies here.
With a new human milk pasteurization facility now open in Utah, donated breastmilk can be sent directly to Utah babies, making the process more efficient and cutting down on potential losses to the supply available to hospitals.
“Now we can get it there more quickly,” said Elizabeth Smith, board chairwoman of Mountain West Mothers’ Milk Bank, Utah’s first fully operational milk bank.