Expecting parents at Tanner can now give “the gift of healing” through a placenta donation program offered at the Tanner Maternity Centers in Carrollton and Villa Rica.
To offer the program, Tanner partnered with telaGen, a national organization focused on supporting families that would like to donate tissue during their baby’s birth.
telaGen works with doctors and OB/GYNs to provide maternity health education and programs to families to help make donations as safe and simple as possible. They also facilitate the process by providing methods for tissue screening, storage and distribution to processing labs.
“After a baby’s birth, the placenta and umbilical cord are normally discarded, but we can now offer families the option to donate that tissue so it can be used to help someone else,” said Moe Boles, RN MBA, vice president of maternity services at Tanner. Placenta donations are used in a variety of medical treatments, including wound healing, reconstructive procedures and surgical repair.
“The program gives families delivering at Tanner the option of donating the placenta and the attached amniotic membrane, which also includes the amniotic fluid and umbilical cord tissue.”
Birth tissue donations are optional and do not affect the baby’s birth in any way.
According to telaGen, after the donation is processed, tissue from one birth can be used to heal up to 50 patients who suffer from burns, diabetic ulcers, eye injuries and other wounds and injuries, including burn healing and many reconstructive, spinal and eye procedures.
Last November, Tanner received its first placenta donation at the maternity center at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton.
Families wishing to donate birth tissue can discuss their options with their care team, which will provide the necessary consent and patient education.
telaGen was created to expand the opportunity for more mothers to give the gift of healing to those in need. For more information, visit TheGiftOfHealing.org.
To learn more about maternity care at Tanner or how to donate your placenta, visit TannerMaternityCare.org.