As more families depend on human milk banks to meet the vital health and nutritional needs of babies, these facilities should implement emergency response plans, similar to those in blood and tissue banks and other critical medical services. Human milk is a lifesaving resource for preterm, low-birth-weight, and critically ill infants, with the World Health Organization recommending pasteurized donor milk for babies who are unable to receive their own mothers’ milk. Milk banks need to ensure they can continue to function during natural disasters, armed conflict, and other emergencies, both as separate emergency services and, at the same time, continue playing their vital role in breastfeeding support. In addition, milk banks should consider the potentially larger role they can play in disaster response, when an increased number of babies could benefit from their services.
I established the human milk bank in Israel as a part of MAGEN DAVID ADOM (the country’s emergency medical response organization) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in 2018, and I have been its CEO ever since. The facility itself is housed in the same secure facility as the main national blood bank. This has allowed us to function without interruption during the last three years as the country has been embroiled in war and targeted by hundreds of missile attacks. While our facility and situation are unique in many ways, our experience offers lessons that milk banks around the world, often located in hospitals or within communities, can implement in order to prepare to function during disasters and emergencies.
