List of USA Public cord blood banks

As you knew, Public cord blood banks accept cord blood donations for free. By donating umbilical cord blood, you have chosen to try to help someone in need of a potentially life-saving transplant.

Public cord blood banks that accept cord blood from anywhere in the U.S.

BioE LLC - St. Paul, Minnesota

BioE collects cord blood donations for basic research on cord blood. This program does not require mothers to register in advance or undergo health screening.

Carolinas Cord Blood Bank - Durham, North Carolina

Carolinas Cord Blood Bank is 1 of 3 banks in the NMDP pilot study of MAIL-IN DONATIONS. Eligible mothers must register by the 34th week of pregnancy and pass a health screening.

Celebration Stem Cell Centre - Gilbert, Arizona

The Celebration Stem Cell Centre (CSCC) began operations in Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix AZ, in Sept. 2010. The bank provides both family storage and public donation of cord blood. CSCC is affiliated with a Translational Research Institute (TRI) that will support projects using cord blood research donations for cardiovascular therapy.

Children's Hospital of Orange County Cord Blood Bank - Orange, California

Children's Hospital of Oakland is famous for offering the nation's first Sibling Donor cord blood program, where families with a child needing transplant could receive free cord blood banking for a new baby.

Cleveland Cord Blood Center - Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland Cord Blood Center collects donations from two hospitals in the Cleveland area. Advanced registration is not required. The program operates 24/7, but the lab is not open on Sunday. In addition to the US donation inventory maintained by NMDP, Cleveland CBC also participates in the BMDW international registry of cord blood donations.

Community Blood Services - Allendale, New Jersey

Donors can sign up without pre-registration at those participating hospitals that have on-site staff. Mail-in donations are collected from hospitals via the NuvaCord Network.

Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas - Little Rock, Arkansas

The Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas launched operations in 2011, providing both public donation and family banking services. They hope to collect donations statewide.

CORD:USE - Orlando, Florida

CORD:USE was founded by some of the leading doctors in cord blood transplantation. They offer both public donation and family storage. Public donations collected by CORD:USE are sent to the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, a FACT-accredited program under the direction of Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg. CORD:USE only accepts donations from medical centers where they have trained the staff. The collection may be performed by dedicated personnel or by OB/Gyn's and midwives. CORD:USE training allows staff to either collect cord blood "in utero", prior to delivery of the placenta, or to collect "ex utero", by draining cord blood from the placenta after it has been delivered.

Donor Services of Indiana - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Hospitals that work with Donor Services of Indiana are color-coded primarily as a research donation because they ask all mothers to consent to donate perinatal tissue, while only a small fraction of the births are eligible to donate cord blood to a transplant program. Expectant mothers are approached for consent when they are admitted for labor.

Gift of Life - Boca Raton, Florida

Gift of Life is a non-profit charity that seeks to help Jewish patients find a transplant match. They recruit bone marrow donors and cord blood donations, with their efforts focused on locations with large Jewish populations. Gift of Life operates their own accredited cord blood laboratory that participates in the national NMDP network. In order for their cord blood donations to be listed on the NMDP network, obstetricians who collect for Gift of Life must undergo training and regular proficiency testing.

ITxM: The Institute For Transfusion Medicine - Rosemont, Illinois

The Institute For Transfusion Medicine (ITxM) is the parent company of multiple blood-banking concerns, including two programs collecting cord blood donations from the states IL and PA.

J.P. McCarthy Cord Stem Cell Bank - Detroit, Michigan

The J.P. McCarthy cord blood bank was founded in memory of a morning radio show host in Detroit. It is run by the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

LifebankUSA - Cedar Knolls, New Jersey

This mail-in donation program requires registration at least 4 weeks prior to delivery and mothers must pass a health screening. LifebankUSA and its parent, Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, are the only USA organization doing research on the combined therapeutic potential of stem cells from cord blood plus stem cells from placental blood. They need donations of both cord blood and placentas, to supply their clinical trials that may help patients with the following conditions:

• Crohn's Disease
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Ischemic Stroke

LifeCord - Gainesville, Florida

LifeCord public cord blood bank is a program of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, developed in cooperation with the University of Florida College of Medicine and the Shands at UF Stem Cell Laboratory. The medical director of LifeCord is Dr. John Wingard, director of the stem cell transplant program at Shands.

Lifeforce Cryobanks - Altamonte Springs , Florida

In 2003 Lifeforce Cryobanks became the first public bank enrolling mothers to mail in donations. Those donations that cannot be accepted for unrelated transplants are either sold for research or discarded. Parent enthusiasm for this program has always exceeded the company's ability to accept donations.

M. D. Anderson Cord Blood Bank - Houston, Texas

M.D. Anderson Cord Blood Bank is 1 of 3 banks in the NMDP pilot study of MAIL-IN DONATIONS. Eligible mothers must register by the 34th week of pregnancy and pass a health screening.

Michigan Community Blood Centers Cord Blood Bank - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Michigan Cord Blood Bank mails the donation kit to the expectant mother but only accepts collections from deliveries at selected hospitals.

Midwest Cord Blood Bank - Indianapolis, Indiana

The Midwest Cord Blood Bank will accept donations from anywhere in the state of Indiana. However, due to medical regulations, they can only list collections for transplant use if they come from hospitals that have an IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval. Donations from other hospitals are stripped of donor identity and designated for research use only.

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NY Blood Center National Cord Blood Program - Long Island City, New York

Collection hospitals for the NY Blood Center do NOT require advance registration: mothers can give a partial consent to collect the cord blood during labor, and only if the collected cord blood is suitable for transplantation will the mothers will be given additional education and asked for a final banking consent post-delivery.

Puget Sound Blood Center - Seattle, Washington

The Puget Sound Blood Center (PSBC) collects cord blood donations directly in Washington state, and also receives donations from collection programs in Oregon and Hawaii.

Saneron CCEL - Tampa, Florida

This mail-in donation program does require advance registration, but it can take place after 35 weeks and almost up to the time of birth, so long as the application is processed in time. The donated cord blood is used in animals for disease research. Parents can earmark their cord blood to be used towards a particular Saneron CCEL research program that they wish to support.

St. Louis Cord Blood Bank - St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis Cord Blood Bank accepts cord blood donations from hospitals within a 150 mile radius, in both Missouri and Illinois.

StemCyte - Covina, California

StemCyte is a global company. StemCyte participates in the US network of public cord blood banks operated by NMDP, plus StemCyte operates the national cord blood bank of Taiwan, whose units are listed with NMDP. The StemCyte lab in Southern California is accredited under the international FACT/Netcord standards, and provides both public donation and family storage for US parents. Note that, under FACT accreditation, cord blood donations can only be accepted at times when there are dedicated collection personnel on duty.

Texas Cord Blood Bank - San Antonio, Texas

Texas Cord Blood Bank at the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center is 1 of 3 banks in the NMDP pilot study of MAIL-IN DONATIONS. Eligible mothers must register by the 34th week of pregnancy and pass a health screening. The Texas Cord Blood Bank can only accept donations on weekdays.

University of Arizona Cord Blood Bank - Tucson, Arizona

The University of Arizona has been collecting cord blood donations purely for research from the University of Arizona Medical Center since the 1990's. Researchers at the U. of Arizona seek to develop regenerative medicine therapies that rely upon the stem cells in cord blood.

University of Colorado Cord Blood Bank - Aurora, Colorado

The University of Colorado Cord Blood Bank (UCCBB) is operated by ClinImmune Labs, an academic-based biotechnology company.

University of Iowa Cord Blood Bank - Iowa City, Iowa

The University of Iowa collects cord blood donations specifically for disease research, not transplants.

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Source: http://parentsguidecordblood.org

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Factors Considered When Choosing a Private Cord Blood Bank

There are numerous private blood banks throughout the world, however, and the main factors for comparison are generally location, accreditation, and fees. Some of the other factors you might consider include blood cell storage, shipping processes, laboratory testing, and how long the blood bank has been storing blood. You can always request a copy of the contract for potential blood banks you are considering so you can compare details such as consumer rights.

Location

There are many private banks throughout the world, so your cord blood bank comparison should start by determining which banks serve your location. If you choose a blood bank that is close to your selected hospital, then fewer blood cells have a chance to die during transportation. Also, some hospitals have contracts with specific private banks, so you should check if your hospital only collects blood for certain banks.

Length of time in business and reputation

All operating information concerning the business should be available in the information/enrollment packet or online at the business’s website. Check the Better Business Bureau online for any reported problems or complaints from customers. Any reputable facility will want to share its business record and customer approval information with you; this includes a guided tour of their facility if location and time permit.

Financial stability

Make sure the company you select to bank your precious cord blood is financially stable. You don’t want to find out that the company you’ve picked may someday go out of business. All financial and annual reports should be made available to you. Check to see that the business is frequently audited and has shown a positive, consistent record of financial stability.

Licensing and accreditation

Accreditation is another factor to consider in your cord blood bank comparison, if it is applicable in your geographic area. In order for a bank to be accredited, it must pass laboratory inspection by an accreditation agency. In the United States and Canada, a company called AABB will typically inspect the blood banks. In the United Kingdom, accreditation can be done through the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), and in many other countries it is done through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Collection, processing and storage methods

Further factors to consider in your cord blood bank comparison include shipping processes, laboratory testing, and how long the bank has been storing blood. Not all private banks provide transportation to ship your cord blood from the hospital to the bank, so if it is not included, you will have to find your own medical courier. The testing done at the laboratory can vary, so you can check if the bank tests for infectious diseases and if it will reject contaminated blood. Also, you can compare how long a bank has been collecting and storing blood to get an idea of how much experience it has and the stability of the company.

On-site processing or outsourced processing

The fewer hands and locations your cord blood sample has to go through to be tested, processed and stored, the less likely there will be mistakes, confusion and accidents.

Collection kit instructions

All instructions should be easy to read. Many companies accompany their collection kit with an educational video demonstrating the collection procedure. Also check to see that a 24/7 cord blood educator or support staff is available in the event there are any questions or procedural issues that need to be answered or addressed.

Staff availability

The company you select should have a support staff or cord blood educator available 24/7 in the event you have additional questions before, during or after the delivery of your baby.

Collection return

It’s mandatory that the company you select has an efficient, reliable courier or delivery service that provides timely return of your cord blood sample for testing, processing and storage.

Payment plans

Depending on your financial situation, the cost of the private bank might be of concern. Many private banks offer flexible payment plans and financial options that could make privately banking your baby’s cord affordable for you. Request that a completely printed explanation be sent to you of all expected charges for your cord blood banking.

Copy of the contract

You should request a copy of the contract for any blood banks you are considering so you can compare details such as consumer rights. The contract should explain what will happen if the company goes out of business, your storage fees are not paid, or your cord blood gets lost. It should also explain the privacy policies of the blood bank. Thoroughly reading private banks’ contracts will allow you to do a detailed cord blood bank comparison before signing one.

Reference:

• www.womens-health.co.uk
• www.wisegeek.com

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Choosing A Cord Blood Bank in Canada

Cord blood banking in Canada is primarily conducted by private cord blood banks, which require payment in order to store a child's cord blood stem cells. Recently, however, the government has launched an initiative that will fund the creation of a national public cord blood bank.

In Canada, Health Canada inspects facilities to determine whether the cord blood bank meets specific requirements set forth by the federal government. As U.S. cord blood banks will have different quality standards, it is recommended that Canadians should use a cord blood bank that is based in Canada.

As most U.S. cord blood banks advertise in Canada, the expectant parents should take care to ensure that the facility performing the procedure is based in Canada, and that they are not simply making a call to the U.S. or to a branch office of a U.S. company.

AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) , the largest international accreditation body for hematology labs, including blood banks and cord blood banks inspects and accredits cord blood banks that have met their stringent standards. It is recommended that parents only choose from AABB accredited cord blood banks .

Cord blood banks require the expertise of Ph.D. scientists and M.D. physicians. By law, an AABB accredited facility will meet such requirements.

Important not to rely too much upon a list of names as part of a "board of advisors", or as directors, but typically, these are only individuals who lend their name in exchange for an honorarium, and do not contribute to the quality of the cord blood bank itself., but to focus on the merits of the company and the information provided on the site itself as an indicator of the quality of the company. There will typically also be more variability in quality in U.S. facilities, and again, Canadian parents are advised to bank within the border.

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Pros and cons of cord blood banking

Cord blood banking is the ability to collect and preserve stem cells from the umbilical cord blood for potential medical uses in the future.

Cord Blood banking isn't routine in hospital or home deliveries — it's a procedure you have to choose and plan for beforehand, so be sure to consider your decision carefully before delivery day.

The expense of collecting and storing the cord blood can be a deciding factor for many families. At a commercial cord-blood bank, you'll pay approximately $1,000-$2,000 to store a sample of cord blood, in addition to an approximately $100 yearly maintenance fee. You might also pay an additional fee of several hundred dollars for the cord-blood collection kit, courier service to the cord-blood bank, and initial processing.

There are many families for which cord blood banking makes sense. Certain issues, such as family histories of genetic diseases or belonging to certain ethnic or racial groups, factor into the decision.

• History: If you have a family history or are worried about a predisposition to certain diseases, cord blood banking can give you peace of mind. Cord blood transplants treat over 45 diseases; malignancies, such as leukemia and other cancers; metabolic disorders; blood disorders, such as sickle-cell anemia, and immunodeficiencies. If this is your primary banking reason, then you should also consult a genetic counselor during your pregnancy.
• Recipient Compatibility: Because cord blood is a more primitive source of stem cell, the recipient runs a lower risk of graft vs. host disease (GVHD), a potentially life-threatening immune response.
• Accessility: Not only is cord blood easy to retrieve, because it's cryogenically stored, it is available for transplant whenever it is needed. Bone marrow, on the other hand, is more difficult to get a hold of; it is harder to find a donor matching your HLA type, and the process of retrieval is more complicated.
• Race: Belonging to certain ethnic or racial groups may mean a longer wait to find a bone marrow donor; therefore, donating or privately banking your baby's cord blood will make transplants readily available to these individuals.

While every parent wants to ensure their child's health, there are some hurdles to universal cord blood banking.

• Cost: While many companies in the profession view cord blood banking as an insurance, it's understandable that the price may be too high for many families.
• Likelihood: The American Association of Pediatrics estimated that the chances of banking and later using the stem cells for a transplant are about 1 in 20,000.
• Size: When it comes to cord blood transplants, size matters. Since a typical harvest is enough to transplant a child or small adult (weighing approximately 115 lb.), although research is currently working on proliferating cells in the laboratory in order to match a larger sized adult.

For parents who find these hurdles unsurpassable, the option of donating your blood to a non-profit public bank is viable.

As parents evaluate their reasons for banking their newborn's cord blood and begin to research cord blood bank facilities, there are many considerations and cautions to keep in mind.

Reference: http://www.pregnancy-info.net

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