North America Cord Blood Donation Sites
Carolinas Cord Blood Bank : 
Carolinas Cord Blood Bank is 1 of 4 NMDP banks that accept MAIL-IN DONATIONS. Eligible mothers must register by the 34th week of pregnancy and pass a health screening. Call the CCBB Public Collection Kit program at 919-668-2071.
LifebankUSA:
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, seek mothers who will donate both cord blood and their placenta. There is an URGENT NEED NOW for donors to supply a clinical trial that benefits patients with blood disorders.
Lifeforce Cryobanks:
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:
M.D. Anderson Cord Blood Bank is 1 of 4 NMDP banks that accept MAIL-IN DONATIONS. Expectant mothers must register by the 34th week of pregnancy and pass a health screening.
New Jersey Cord Blood Bank:
New Jersey Cord Blood Bank can accept donations without pre-registration at participating hospitals that have on-site staff. Donations are also accepted from certain hospitals via partnerships with local charities.
Saneron CCEL:
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.
Texas Cord Blood Bank:
Texas Cord Blood Bank at the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center is 1 of 4 NMDP banks that accept MAIL-IN DONATIONS. Expectant mothers must register by the 34th week of pregnancy and pass a health screening.
Public cord blood banks accept cord blood donations for free.
Most require the mother to register by the 34th week of pregnancy,
and she must pass medical eligibility guidelines.
If the donation meets the size threshold for transplant use, it is saved
and listed on a registry that can be searched by patients.
The goal is for your donation to
Be The Match
that saves a life.
There are two ways to donate your baby's cord blood to a public bank:
- Find a donation site: (this page) A limited number of large birthing hospitals in the USA accept donations.
- Send your baby's cord blood to a mail-in donation program.
Need help?
- Who is able to donate cord blood?
-
In theory, any expectant mother who passes the medical screening is eligible to donate. In practice, the biggest hurdle faced by families who wish to donate is finding a bank to accept their donation. There are only about 200 hospitals in the US that collect cord blood donations from births, and most of them require you to register for donation weeks ahead of the birth. The handful of programs that accept mail-in donations are opening this opportunity to the rest of the American public.
- How does the Institute of Medicine influence cord blood education?
- Congress commissioned an Institute of Medicine study on the ideal structure of a national cord blood
program. Based on the IoM report, Congress passed the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 that was signed into law 20 Dec. 2005. The key language regarding education is the requirement: Information provided to the maternal donor regard(s) all of her medically appropriate cord blood options. ie: Education of expectant parents and Informed Consent of maternal donors should cover all options, not just donation.
Regulations
- Virginia
- Virginia was the first state to pass legislation where the bill itself explicitly endorses the use of educational materials from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. Virginia has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Virginia bill was enacted 9 Mar. 2010 and became effective 1 July 2010.
- New York
-
New York has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and asks (but does not mandate) physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The New York bill was enacted 7 Aug. 2007 and became effective 7 Feb. 2008.
- Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Pennsylvania bill was enacted 3 April 2008 and became effective 2 June 2008.
