Prolacta Bioscience Supports Breastfeeding Awareness Month With Donation of Breast Pumps to Alliance for Black NICU Families

Company Will Also Provide Free Educational Breastfeeding Resources to Hospitals Worldwide

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Aug 19, 2021, 09:00 ET

DUARTE, Calif., Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prolacta Bioscience^®, the world's leading hospital provider of 100% human milk-based nutritional products for premature and critically ill infants, is supporting Breastfeeding Awareness Month by donating hospital-grade breast pumps to the Alliance for Black NICU Families. The alliance will work with GLO Preemies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and empowering past and current Black NICU families, to distribute the breast pumps to underserved parents and families who need them most.

"Breast pumps are a critical resource for new moms and breastfeeding women, yet many don't have access to them. Lack of encouragement, limited time due to work, or the feeling of embarrassment also contribute to the low rates of breastfeeding in the Black community," said Ashley Randolph, president of GLO Preemies and director of the Alliance for Black NICU Families. "We're honored by Prolacta's donation and support to help these families and are happy to work together to give babies access to breastmilk and better health, one baby at a time."

In August, the spotlight turns to breastfeeding awareness both nationally and globally as a time to shed light on the critical nutrition breastmilk provides infants. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend infants be breastfed for their first six months when possible.

"Mom's own milk is the ideal food for all infants," said Prolacta's Chief Medical Officer Melinda J. Elliott, MD, FAAP. "We will continue to do all we can to encourage breastfeeding and improve breastfeeding education. We deeply believe that all babies should have access to the healing power of breastmilk."

This month, Prolacta will also provide free breastfeeding resources to hospitals throughout the world and via its website to educate about practical guidance to help parents. Educational materials include a breastfeeding tip sheet; inspirational stories; a video series for breastfeeding parents about traveling, returning to work, and COVID-19; and free access to the Peekaboo ICU app, which provides useful tools for new parents such as growth charts and information about navigating the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

"We honor and thank all parents for their commitment to the health of their babies and recognize that more needs to be done to support new parents, including those who breastfeed as well as those who cannot or choose not to do so," said Prolacta's Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs Carolyn TenEyck. "We are passionate about supporting these parents in partnership with the Alliance for Black NICU Families and GLO Preemies, which help parents in underserved communities get the breastfeeding resources and support they need. All parents should have the opportunity to give their babies the optimum nutrition for their health and growth."

About Prolacta Bioscience
Prolacta Bioscience^® Inc. is a privately held, global life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk^® to improve the health of premature and critically ill infants. Prolacta's 100% human milk-based nutritional products have been evaluated in more than 20 clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals. More than 70,000 premature infants have benefited from Prolacta's nutritional products worldwide to date.¹ Established in 1999, Prolacta is the world's leading provider of human milk-based nutritional products for hospital use and is also exploring the therapeutic potential of human milk across a wide spectrum of diseases. Prolacta maintains the industry's strictest quality and safety standards for screening, testing, and processing human donor milk. Operating the world's first pharmaceutical-grade human milk processing facilities, Prolacta uses vat pasteurization and a patented, FDA-reviewed manufacturing process to ensure pathogen inactivation while protecting the nutritional composition and bioactivity of its human milk-based products. Prolacta is a global company with headquarters in Duarte, California, and can be found online at www.prolacta.com, on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.