Upstate Cord Blood Bank Opens with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Upstate's Community Campus on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. 

The $15 Million, 20,000 square foot facility features a state of the art processing laboratory and cryogenic storage containers that can store nearly 14,500 units of cord blood. The bank will collect, test, process, store, and distribute umbilical cord blood donated by families throughout Central and Northern New York to be used by those in need of life-saving medical treatments and for medical research.

State Senator John A. DeFrancisco secured $15 Million in state funding for the building, enabling Syracuse to have one of the only two public cord blood banks in New York State, and one of only 32 in the United States. 

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank is currently accepting cord blood donations from families who give birth at Upstate’s Community Campus.  Cord blood donations will also be accepted from families who give birth at Crouse Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.  There is no cost to donate to the public bank. Cord blood is normally discarded after birth, but it can be used to treat more than 80 diseases, such as certian cancers and immune illnesses for adults and children.  Expecting mothers who would like to donate their infant's cord blood to the Upstate Cord Blood Bank, should speak with their doctor, or call the Upstate Cord Blood Bank at (315) 492-2600.  

Senator DeFrancisco is pictured with Upstate Medical University President Danielle Laraque-Arena,MD, Tissue Bank Director Nicholas Greco, PhD, Nicole Moore (the first person to donate to the Upstate Cord Blood Bank), and Geralyn and Jared Saya of Syracuse. Jared, who was diagnosed with Leukemia and underwent a stem call transplant at the early age of four, is now in college.  He and his mom, Geralyn, are very supportive of the Upstate Cord Blood Bank and spoke during the ribbon-cutting event. Nicole Moore also spoke, sharing her story of why she decided to donate.

For more information on the Upstate Cord Blood Bank, please visit http://www.upstatecordbloodbank.com/  You can also call the Upstate Cord Blood Bank at (315) 492-2600 today.