“We had collected cord blood units for private banks but never on a large scale prior to our relationship with the Cleveland Cord Blood Center. What a great partnership,” said Michelle Gebhardt, M.D., OBGYN Practitioner at the Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center.
The medical center, located in the East Bay section of California, an area with a very diverse population, has a high number of annual deliveries. Its members and patients also speak a variety of different languages.
“When we discuss the opportunity for parents to donate their baby’s cord blood, they are enthusiastic about supporting another family with the potentially lifesaving donation of their baby’s cord blood,” Gebhardt said. “I believe some parents will choose to deliver at our location to take advantage of this opportunity.
“I feel very lucky to be able to provide this service for my patients. The reward is knowing that one day there may be a recipient on the other side whose life we may be able to save,” Gebhardt concluded.