O’FALLON — HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital is excited to share that it is now home to St. Clair County’s first milk dispensary, in partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes (Milk Bank WGL). This joint effort with Milk Bank WGL increases access to lifesaving, critical nutrition for pediatric patients in need.
Located in the Women and Infants Center at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, 1 St. Elizabeth’s Blvd. in O’Fallon, the milk dispensary will act as a hub where families can purchase pasteurized donor milk for short-term emergency use. Breast milk is an essential nutritional therapy that provides numerous benefits, including infection-fighting factors, growth hormones, and improved nutrition and digestion.
“There are several reasons why mothers and caretakers may need our dispensary services,” said Amanda Schaefer, MSN, RN, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Women and Infants Center Manager. “They may struggle with low breast milk supply, they may be experiencing an illness or taking a medication that is hindering their ability to breastfeed, or they may have had a child through adoption or surrogacy. We are happy and proud to be the first in our area to provide this service to moms and babies.”
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Milk donations are collected