Riverhead opens Suffolk's 1st breast milk donation depot
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today for Suffolk County's first breast milk donation depot. Peconic Pediatrics on Commerce Drive in Riverhead will be a collection site for the New York Milk Bank
•
Dec 14, 2016, 3:14 AM
•
Updated 2,929 days ago
Share:
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today for Suffolk County's first breast milk donation depot.
Peconic Pediatrics on Commerce Drive in Riverhead will be a collection site for the New York Milk Bank in Westchester County.
The bank distributes breast milk primarily to neonatal intensive care units at hospitals where newborn and premature babies are more likely to need that resource.
Mothers interested in donating extra breast milk can do so once they are screened and get approval from their doctor. The donated milk will then be tested and pasteurized.
Dr. Lisa Visentin, of Peconic Pediatrics, says premature babies are healthier when they get donor milk as opposed to formula.
"They have far fewer complications, and grow much better," says Visentin.
She says the milk will be monitored each day in a deep freezer until it is shipped and distributed to hospitals throughout New York.
Linda Merrick, of Medford, was worried about wasting her unused, frozen breast milk after she produced 700 ounces.
She has already begun the approval process to donate her breast milk, which is good news for babies and her freezer space.
"I feel blessed to be able to help," she told News 12 Long Island.
Nassau also has a depot in New Hyde Park.
More from News 12
1:56
STORM WATCH: Morning snow followed by deep cold on Long Island
0:21
MTA: Train strikes car near Central Islip; 1 hospitalized
0:23
Long Beach man pleads guilty to selling illegal guns in front of his home
0:30
Police: 72-year-old man killed in Long Beach crash
1:28
FDA announces new criteria for what foods can be considered healthy
