Medical City is First North Texas Donor Site for Texas Cord Blood Bank

Medical City will become the Texas Cord Blood Bank's first donor site in North Texas and the fourth in the state.

The Texas Cord Blood Bank, a division of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, is a non-profit program established by the Texas legislature in 2001 to collect umbilical cord blood that can benefit patients suffering from a number of potentially fatal diseases.

"We are committed to improving the quality of life throughout our community," said Britt Berrett, president and CEO of Medical City.

"So we are honored to offer new parents the opportunity to donate this rich source of stem cells to a public bank that will benefit individuals in Texas and across the country who so desperately need this treatment.

“We believe that of the nearly 3,000 deliveries we perform each year, many of these mothers will be eager to participate in the program, knowing they could possibly save the life of someone else's child."

"Cord blood treatment and research respects human life and it holds tremendous potential in the battle to overcome many of the diseases that have plagued mankind for centuries," Gov. Rick Perry said.

"It is encouraging to see yet another hospital become a part of the Texas Cord Blood Bank program. I encourage prospective parents across the state to talk to their doctor about donating cord blood because every new mother has the opportunity to give life not only to her child, but to a fellow Texan."

There is no cost to parents associated with donating, and the cord blood will help build a state-wide cord blood bank that captures the vast ethnic diversity of Texans, as ethnicity plays a key role in finding a suitable genetic match for patients.

"Medical City is a great partner in this project and very eager to begin collecting donations," said Dr. Norman D. Kalmin, president/CEO and medical director of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.

"The Dallas area provides a great opportunity to enhance the cord blood bank in terms of the sheer volume which can be collected, as well as the diversity of the region."

"We began the process of establishing this public resource nearly five years ago," said Mary Beth Fisk, Texas Cord Blood Bank vice president of development and tissue services.

"We are training nurses and doctors at each facility under strict protocols to ensure we provide a safe, effective source of cord blood."

The Texas Cord Blood Bank's first collections began in June 2005 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, and new collection centers were recently opened at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen and Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville as part of their statewide effort to build a cord blood bank that captures the diversity of all Texans.

"The Texas Cord Blood Bank is a great example of a public/private partnership, it's exciting to see the program moving forward in Dallas," said Elizabeth Ames Jones, Chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas.

"Having worked hard to establish the Texas Cord Blood Bank, it is wonderful to see such strong support from the medical community and families across Texas."

"Having authored the bill to establish the Texas Cord Blood Bank in 2001, it is gratifying to watch its expansion across the State," said former Texas State Representative Kenn S. George.

"The Dallas community is a great addition to the Cord Blood Bank's hospital partners in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley, and I invite all prospective mothers in our area to consider this program prior to giving birth. It will help save lives in our community and beyond."