LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank

LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank is a public cord blood bank that collects and stores umbilical cord blood to help save lives around the world. Mothers delivering at hospitals in Alabama may have the option to donate their umbilical cord blood to LifeSouth. During a cord blood donation, a medical professional collects the stem cell-rich blood from the umbilical cord after delivery. The process is painless for both the mother and child. There is no fee associated with donating cord blood. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells, which can be used in treatment of many diseases and disorders. Cord blood transplants can help treat more than 80 blood cancers, genetic diseases and immune system and metabolic disorders, including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. It has surpassed bone marrow as a source for stem cells in transplants. To date, more than 40,000 patients have received cord blood transplants since the procedure was first performed in 1988. Once a donation has been received and tested, it is securely stored by LifeSouth and added to the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be the Match registry – the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world. LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Cord Blood Bank is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). LifeSouth is the first cord blood bank in the Southeast, and the fifth nationwide, to provide transfusable cord blood products that are licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and continues to be a leader in this growing healthcare field. LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank is a program of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers which is a non-profit community blood bank serving more than 150 in Alabama, Florida , Georgia and Tennessee. To find out more about LifeSouth Cord Blood Bank, visit https://www.lifesouth.org/cord-blood-bank