Hospital offers cord blood donation

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A Lafayette hospital is offering a donation program that can help in the research and treatment of more than 70 illnesses.

Franciscan St. Elizabeth East Women's Center is now one of just a handful of hospitals in the state offering cord blood donation. Mothers can choose to donate their babies' cord blood to be used for research and treatment of disease.

"These are non-embryonic stem cells. I think the biggest question we get asked is, 'Are you going to clone my baby?' These are non-cloning cells. These are strictly treatment cells used in the treatment of Leukemia, Lymphoma - mainly your blood cancers and blood diseases," said Terri Tibbot, President of Donor Services of Indiana.

She said the cord blood is very rich in stem cells. Moms-to-be can also donate the umbilical cord and placenta for transplant surgeries.

"Just a few years ago this stuff was being thrown away as bio-hazardous trash is actually able to be processed and then transplanted into someone else needing this stuff," she said.

Women's Services Division Director Joyce VanHoosier said the procedure is safe and does not hurt the mother or child.

"The nurses just ask the patients if they would like to consent or be a cord blood donor and once they give that final okay, then that's when Donor Services takes over," VanHoosier said.

"We've been really excited about moms saying, 'Yes, absolutely.' The consent rate is something like almost 90 percent," Tibbot said.

Tibbot said eligible units of blood are registered with the National Marrow Donor Program in Washington, DC. When physicians need to use cord blood or stem cells for transplants they can pull from this national database.

Franciscan St. Elizabeth East Women's Center began the cord blood donation in March.