Hillcrest Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic hospital, is one of two birthing centers in Ohio to give new parents the opportunity to contribute their newborn baby’s cord blood to the Cleveland Cord Blood Center (CCBC) – Ohio’s first and only public cord blood bank.
With approximately 3600 births each year, Hillcrest Hospital is expected to boost the number of cord blood stem cell units that will ultimately be distributed to help treat leukemia and other blood-borne diseases, as well as support research efforts.
When it comes to donating cord blood, it’s a simple process.
Following the delivery of a full-term newborn, the cord blood is collected, uniquely bar-coded and taken to CCBC’s facility, where the blood is frozen and made available to transplant centers world-wide, or is distributed for research.
Because these adult cord blood stem cells would otherwise be discarded after the birth of full-term babies, they are not affected by the ethical and political concerns surrounding the use of human embryonic stem cells.
Cord blood stem cells are virtually inexhaustible, easily obtainable and are less costly than stem cells obtained from bone marrow sources. The good news is that cord blood stem cells are not only rising to the forefront as a preferred treatment of blood-borne diseases such as leukemia, but they also hold the promise of regenerative therapies for diseases ranging from heart disease to diabetes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Web site provides a policy statement on “Cord Blood Banking for Potential Future Transplantation,” which is designed to guide physicians in responding to parents’ questions about cord blood donation and banking and the types and quality of cord blood banks. In its recommendations it states, “Cord blood donation should be discouraged when cord blood stored in a bank is to be directed for later personal or family use, because most conditions that might be helped by cord blood stem cells already exist in the infant’s cord blood.” The recommendation continues with “cord blood donation should be encouraged when the cord blood is stored in a bank for public use.”
By donating your child’s cord blood you are providing the lifesaving opportunity for someone else. The process of cord blood donation for expectant parents is safe for both mother and child. At the hospital, you will be asked to complete appropriate paperwork to indicate your consent. After your baby is born, the cord blood will be collected by your doctor, along with the delivery of the afterbirth. If you do not choose to donate your newborn's umbilical cord blood, it will be discarded. For further information, please visit CCBC's website, www.clevelandcordblood.org or call 216.896.0360.