UAMS Opens First Milk Bank in Arkansas

By Andrew Vogler

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) opened the UAMS Milk Bank, the first facility of its kind in Arkansas, during a Sept. 6 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Donald R. Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas System, addressed guests at the ceremony.Andrew Vogler

Located in the Monroe Building just off UAMS’ main campus in Little Rock, the Milk Bank is a facility that focuses on the health of mothers and newborns in Arkansas through encouragement and support of breastfeeding. The new milk bank will help ensure a ready supply of donor milk for sick and vulnerable infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) around the state, shortening the time it takes for regional hospitals to receive critical milk supplies and improving outcomes for babies.

Previously, Arkansas hospitals relied on donor milk purchased from milk banks in Texas, Michigan, Illinois and Oklahoma, costing more than $1 million a year.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/09/06/uams-opens-first-milk-bank-in-arkansas/