We encourage you to help facilitate your baby’s first gift – the gift of cord blood. The St. Louis Cord Blood Bank is located at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The placenta and blood within it, known as cord blood, are the lifeline of nourishment from mother to her baby through the umbilical cord. This cord blood is rich in non-controversial stem cells that can help fight more than 70 diseases, including leukemia, metabolic disorders, immune deficiencies, bone marrow failure and genetic disorders such as sickle cell disease. Cord blood donations are painless and simple and do not interfere with the birthing process.
Cord blood can be collected from all routine pregnancies. There are no costs involved in donating cord blood, and your insurance company will not be billed for anything related to the collection.
Mothers who wish to participate should call the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank at (314) 268-2787 or (888) 453-2673 to register. You can register any time during pregnancy. Donors will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the pregnancy and medical history of the family.