Options for Cord Blood Banking
You have two options for donating your child’s cord blood. Whichever option you prefer, please contact us toll free at 1-855-854-2222 (CBBA) or 501-686-6271 in order to coordinate your cord blood collection.
Public Cord Blood Donation
You can offer the gift of life to others by choosing to donate your baby’s cord blood for public use. Your cord blood will be stored in a public bank so that it can be transplanted into any patient that is considered a match: not only here in Arkansas but, throughout the world. There is no cost to you because public cord blood banks cover the cost of processing, testing and storing donated cord blood.
Start the process of donating your baby’s cord blood
Note: While you can donate at any time during your pregnancy up to delivery, the process is more efficient if you enroll by your 34th week of pregnancy to ensure required donor screening prior to delivering your baby.
Research Cord Blood Donation
By choosing this option you are allowing us to use your cord blood to further research studies. Research laboratories and technology companies conduct studies to help improve the transplant process for future patients, and to discover new ways to use the cells to help repair damaged organs.
Start the process of donating your baby’s cord blood
Embracing the Diversity of Arkansas
Diversity is essential to the success of our cord blood bank. Arkansas is a diverse state, and racially and ethnically diverse donors are urgently needed as bone marrow or cord blood donors. For a successful transplant, the tissue type of a bone marrow donor or a cord blood unit must match the patient’s as closely as possible. Tissue types are inherited, so patients are more likely to match someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage.
With the establishment of the Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas, donations of cord blood are greatly needed by individuals from the following communities, including Caucasians:
- African American
- American Indian and Alaska Native
- Asian American
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
- Hispanic and Latino
- Mixed Ethnicities
Private Cord Blood Banking
In addition to donations, private cord blood banking is also an option. Private banking allows you to store the cord blood for your own family. You are charged a fee for the initial collection plus an annual storage fee. Please contact the Cord Blood Coordinator toll free at 1-855-854-2222 or 501-686-6271 for current rates and fees.
Start the process of privately storing your baby’s cord blood