HMBANA member banks provide donor milk to NICUs on a cost-recovery basis.[8] In 2021, member banks distributed 9.2 million US fluid ounces (270,000 L) of breast milk, a 22% increase over the prior year.[1] During the 2022 United States infant formula shortage, HMBANA saw a twenty percent increase in requests for donor milk, and increased donor applications.[7]
HMBANA member banks screen potential donors for communicable diseases, medications, and illicit drug use. Donated milk is pooled to ensure consistency, pasteurized at 62.5 °C (144.5 °F) for 30 minutes, and tested for bacterial pathogens both before and after pasteurization.[8] The milk is stored frozen until delivery.[8] Donated milk is prioritized for "medically fragile" babies, and may be prescribed for preterm infants, or those with malabsorption, feeding intolerance, immune deficiency, or who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery.[8][9] When donor milk is available for healthy infants, up to 40 US fluid ounces (1,200 mL) may be purchased without a prescription, at a typical cost of $3 to $5 an ounce.[9] The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against sharing breastmilk outside of accredited milk banks.[10]
HMBANA-authored publications include 2018 Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of a Donor Human Milk Bank; 2019 Fourth Edition of Best Practice for Expressing, Storing and Handling Human Milk in Hospitals, Homes, and Child Care Settings; and Lactation Support for the Bereaved Mother.[11]
HMBANA is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, but is incorporated in Connecticut.[3][12]