Bloodworks Northwest is excited to announce a new partnership with a significant impact. The Bloodworks Cord Blood Donation Program will start collecting umbilical cord blood for transplant at the Skagit Valley Hospital Family Birth Center in Mount Vernon, WA in October, 2024.
Umbilical cord blood can be used to treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood disorders.
For over 20 years, Bloodworks’ comprehensive Cord Blood Donation Program has facilitated the collection, processing, and storage of these vital stem cells, ensuring they are available for patients in need. Cord blood banked locally by Bloodworks is available for patients around the world through the National Marrow Donor Program (formerly Be the Match).
This partnership with Skagit Regional Health (SRH) aims to increase the availability of lifesaving cord blood donations, providing hope and treatment options for patients with severe medical conditions. Finding a stem cell match can be very difficult for racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented on the adult donor and cord blood registries. With 18% of Skagit County identifying as Hispanic, cord blood donated by Skagit Valley families will advance Bloodworks’ goal to close the gap, making treatments accessible for all patients in need.
Tami Schnell, MHA, BSN, RNC-OB, Regional Director of Women’s & Children’s Services, was instrumental in bringing Bloodworks Cord Blood Donation Program to SRH and driven by the need for more donations from families of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds.
My motivation to begin the cord blood donation program was the diversity of our community,” she said. “Growing up and serving the community as a nurse has made me realize that our community is more than individuals wanting the best for each other but rather a community wanting the best for all people. This program can help with that vision.
SRH is Bloodworks’ first expansion outside of King County since 2018, giving more families the choice to turn their baby’s birth into someone else’s chance at life. And for the Family Birth Center, cord blood is now yet another way new parents can make a difference for other families – the hospital recently became an official Milk Drop location for donated breast milk.
Expectant parents will get the opportunity to learn about cord blood donation with their prenatal provider and can voluntarily choose to donate their baby’s cord blood as part of their birth plan. Cord blood is collected directly after the baby is born when the cord is clamped and cut. This is a simple and safe process that poses no risk to the mother or baby.
Skagit Regional Health’s Family Birthing Center and clinics have been hard at work with Bloodworks’ Cord Blood team to coordinate training sessions for staff, in addition to distributing educational materials to raise awareness about the benefits and importance of cord blood donation in our community.
We’re excited to partner with the SRH Family Birth Center’s labor and delivery providers and nurses and to open up this lifesaving opportunity for more families.
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