HEALTH CARE HEROES: ALLIED HEALTH.

Wendy Kim and her team at the Henry Ford Milk Bank-Jackson have established the second donor breast milk bank in Michigan, collecting nearly 50,000 ounces of milk. Breast milk has been shown to reduce the likelihood of various health issues in babies, including earaches, stomachaches, and chronic conditions like obesity, asthma, and diabetes. Currently, the collected milk is primarily used for premature babies or babies with underproducing mothers in specific hospitals, but efforts are being made to make it more accessible to all mothers in Michigan. Kim's team is advocating for legislation to ease access to the milk bank and is seeking partnerships and grants to offset costs. The milk bank is funded by a state grant and Henry Ford Health capital funding, and it relies on over 100 donors from across Michigan. [Extracted from the article]