Public Donation OptionSM

Family Cord Blood Services is pleased to announce we are now offering a Public Donation OptionSM. Our Public Donation Option combines the best aspects of both private and public cord blood banking, offering families the opportunity to make the miracle of their baby’s cord blood available to others in need. It enables parents to store their baby’s cord blood stem cells privately with the option to list their stored cord blood unit on a donation registry after a minimum of 10 years of private storage.

The benefits of the Public Donation OptionSM program are:

By choosing the Public Donation Option, parents not only protect their families, but they may also benefit others in need
By listing your cord blood unit on a donation registry, families are proactively helping to reverse the shortage of publicly available cord blood units
By enrolling in the Public Donation Option, families have more choices for their stored cord blood in the future

How it works

Upon enrollment with Family Cord Blood Services, indicate your interest in participating in the Public Donation Option program. Due to additional testing and paperwork necessary to determine eligibility for public donation, the decision to participate in the Public Donation Option program has to be made upon enrollment. If you decide not to take advantage of the Public Donation Option at the point of enrollment, it will not be possible to list your cord blood on a public registry at a later date.
Complete and sign the Public Donation Option Addendum, which includes a separate health questionnaire required for public donations of cord blood. Upon receiving the completed agreement, we will ship the cord blood collection kit.
After the cord blood has been collected and shipped to our facility, we process, test, label and evaluate the cord blood for public donation eligibility as determined by publicly accepted standards and practices.
If the cord blood meets all the requirements for public donation, the unit will be stored with Family Cord Blood Services for a minimum of ten years before you are eligible to exercise the option to list your cord blood unit on a donation registry.
After ten years of storage, you have the option to either continue to store your cord blood unit for your family’s exclusive use or to list your cord blood unit on a public donation registry. If you decide to list your cord blood unit on a public donation registry, simply contact Family Cord Blood Services at any time. We will not list your cord blood unit unless we receive written instructions from you.
If your cord blood unit is requested for donation, Family Cord Blood Services will contact you for your final consent to donate. Upon receiving your written consent, the cord blood unit is no longer yours. If the unit is chosen and released for a transplant, you may be eligible for a refund of some or all of the fees you paid for processing and storage.
Cord blood donated to the public is a gift. It cannot be sold. If the unit is chosen and released for a transplant, you may be eligible to receive a refund of some or all of the processing and storage fees. The purpose of the Public Donation OptionSM is to allow you to make a “gift of life” to others in the event that you decide not to store your cord blood unit for your exclusive family use.

For more information about our Public Donation OptionSM, please see our Public Donation Option FAQs page or contact a cord blood educator at 800-490-CORD (2673).

Eligibility Guidelines for Donation of Cord Blood Stem Cells

The eligibility guidelines below were established to protect the health of the recipients of the cord blood stem cells. Review these guidelines to help determine whether you are eligible to list your baby’s cord blood on a donation registry after the mandatory 10-year period of private storage.

Age - donors must usually be 18 or older and in good health.
AIDS - if you have or are at risk for HIV/AIDS, you cannot become a cord blood donor.
Cancer - cured local skin cancer (only simple basal cell or squamous cell) is acceptable. Cervical cancer in situ is acceptable. All other forms of cancer make the donor ineligible.
Diabetes - medication-dependent diabetes may not be acceptable. Gestational diabetes will usually be acceptable.
Hepatitis - hepatitis B surface antigen is not acceptable. Hepatitis C antibody is not acceptable. Any other hepatitis history must be evaluated by the cord blood bank. Hepatitis vaccine is acceptable.
Malaria - malaria more than three years ago is acceptable. If the volunteer finished a full course of antimalarial drugs more than six months ago, he or she is acceptable.
Organ or tissue transplant - heart, lung, kidney, bone marrow or other organ or tissue transplant recipients are deferred.
Sexually transmitted diseases - any history of sexually transmitted diseases must be evaluated by the cord blood bank.
Tattoos and skin or body piercing - tattoos within the last twelve months are not acceptable. Circumstances and timing of ear, skin and body piercing are evaluated by the cord blood bank.

Guidelines Source: National Marrow Donor Program, last updated 02/16/05, www.marrow.org, accessed June 2005.