Piedmont Hospital Starts Public Cord Blood Collection Program

Mothers having their babies at Piedmont Hospital can now participate in a public cord blood collection program that’s free of charge. As part of the new program, delivering mothers can decide whether to donate cord blood from their babies' umbilical cords to the nonprofit Cleveland Cord Blood Center. The center stores the blood for public use for research and stem cell transplants for those with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening blood diseases. Philidah Seda is senior director of women’s services at the hospital.

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Credit Piedmont Hospital

“There are patients out there who are trying to find a match and are having a hard time finding a match through bone marrow, and so this allows us to use cord blood that is harvested after the baby is born.”

33-year-old Essie Williams who delivered on Dec. 4 donated her son’s cord blood to save lives.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for myself and for mothers like me who are coming in and giving birth to deliver to do something that’s meaningful.”

In the past, those delivering at the hospital could only participate in private cord blood banking programs. The programs cost money and are only available for private use. Piedmont is the second area hospital to offer the service. Last year, DeKalb Medical started a similar program with New York Blood Center.