Print Friendly, PDF & Email

WALC Quarterly Meeting & Webinar – Building on a Decade of Support: Our New Facility and the Expanding Reach of Milk Bank Services – Friday, November 14, 2025 10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Register here

Description: This presentation will provide an exciting, behind-the-scenes look at the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes new state-of-the-art facility. Summer will highlight expansion updates, new research initiatives, and clinical case studies. Susan will share community engagement program updates and themes of maternal experiences with milk donation after perinatal loss. She will include photos of the milk bank’s beautiful new bereavement memorial!

10:00 am – 11:00 am    “Milk Bank Processing Overview & Clinical Use of Donor Milk” – Summer Kelly, MS, RN, IBCLC – 1 L CERP

Objectives – By the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

  1. List at least two indications for the use of donor milk in both the hospital and outpatient settings.
  2. Identify two bioactive factors that are retained after Holder pasteurization.

Outline: 

  1. Milk Bank Processing Overview
    1. Donor Screening and blood testing
    2. Holder pasteurization 
    3. Safety and quality testing
      1. Drug testing
      2. Microbiological testing
      3. Nutrition testing
  2. Clinical Use of Donor Milk
    1. NICU
      1. NEC prevention
    2. Inpatient pediatrics, PICU, Cardiac units
    3. Outpatient Use
      1. Feeding intolerance
      2. GI, kidney, and cardiac disease
      3. Chylothorax 
      4. Maternal illness and death

11:00 am – 12:00 pm    “Community Engagement at the Milk Bank & Bereavement Milk Donation Support” – Susan Urbanski, CLS, PMH-C – 1 L CERP

Objectives– By the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

  1. List three ways that the milk bank engages with the community through the integrative model of milk banking. 
  2. Identify two themes that emerge from research examining the experience of moms who donate after perinatal loss.

Outline: 

  1. Community Engagement at the milk bank
    1. Integrative Milk Bank Model
      1. Depots and dispensaries
      2. Milk courier program
      3. Community events
      4. The Restoration Project to support families affected by maternal death
  2. Bereavement Milk Donation Support
    1. Poppy’s Dream Memorial Program

12:00 pm – General Meeting – All are welcome to attend

Link to the Zoom event will be sent via email several days before the event. These sessions will be recorded for viewing for 30 days following posting. Certificate of Attendance will be provided following viewing and submitting the evaluation form.

Register here

CERPs – 2 L CERPs

Cost – No fee for WALC Members

WALC welcomes new members! Annual Fee is $25 for membership from March through February, 2025. For information and to apply, return to the Home page or go to WALC.net, click on Membership Tab.

SAVE THE DATE: March 5 & 6, 2026, WALC Conference, Oshkosh, WI

Questions or if you’d like to submit suggestions for topic and speaker, please contact Diane Oakland, WALC Program Chair, dianeoak@gmail.com