Bloodworks Northwest and Skagit Regional Health are excited to announce a new partnership with a significant impact for area residents. The Bloodworks Cord Blood Donation Program is now collecting umbilical cord blood for transplant at the Skagit Valley Hospital Family Birth Center in Mount Vernon, WA. Umbilical cord blood can be used to treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders.

For over 20 years, Bloodworks’ comprehensive Cord Blood Donation Program has facilitated the collection, processing and storage of these vital stem cells, ensuring they are available for patients in need. Cord blood banked locally by Bloodworks is available for patients around the world through the National Marrow Donor Program (formerly Be the Match).

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Family Birth Center at Skagit Valley Hospital and their labor and delivery providers and nurses to open up this lifesaving opportunity for more families,” said Director of Bloodworks Bio Donation Programs Evan Delay, MSN, RNC-OB. “Our Cord Blood Donation Program has proudly banked over 14,000 cord blood donations available for transplant and sent out 1,200 units to patients in need. As a former labor and delivery nurse and cord blood donor myself, it is especially meaningful to me that I can tell my son he was helping others in need from the day he was born. Now Skagit Regional Health is giving more families the chance to choose cord blood donation and save lives.” 

This partnership with Skagit Regional Health aims to increase the availability of lifesaving cord blood donations, providing hope and treatment options for patients with severe medical conditions. Finding a stem cell match can be very difficult for racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented on the adult donor and cord blood registries. With 18% of Skagit County identifying as Hispanic, cord blood donated by Skagit Valley families will advance Bloodworks’ goal to close the gap, making treatments accessible for all patients in need.

Tami Schnell, MHA, BSN, RNC-OB, Regional Director of Women’s & Children’s Services, was instrumental in bringing Bloodworks Cord Blood Donation Program to Skagit Regional Health. The initiative was driven by the need for more donations from families of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds.

“My motivation to begin the cord blood donation program was the diversity of our community,” Tami said. “Growing up and serving the community as a nurse has made me realize that our community is more than individuals wanting the best for each other but rather a community wanting the best for all people. This program can help with that vision.”

Skagit Regional Health is Bloodworks’ first expansion outside of King County since 2018, giving more families the choice to turn their baby’s birth into someone else’s chance at life. And for the Family Birth Center, cord blood is now yet another way new parents can make a difference for other families – the hospital also recently became an official milk drop location for donated breast milk.

Expectant parents will get the opportunity to learn about cord blood donation with their prenatal provider and can voluntarily choose to donate their baby’s cord blood as part of their birth plan. Cord blood is collected directly after the baby is born when the cord is clamped and cut. This is a simple and safe process that poses no risk to the mother or baby. There is no cost to families and all the arrangements can be made in advance.

Skagit Regional Health’s Family Birth Center and clinics have been hard at work with Bloodworks’ Cord Blood team to coordinate training sessions for staff, in addition to distributing educational materials to raise awareness about the benefits and importance of cord blood donation in our community.