Upstate Cord Blood Bank

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

The New Facility: State Senator John A. DeFrancisco secured $15 Million in state funding for the building, enabling Syracuse to have one of only two public cord blood banks in New York State. The 20,000 square foot facility will collect, test, process, store, and distribute umbilical cord blood donated by families throughout Central New York to be used by those in need of life-saving medical treatments, and for medical research.

The Upstate Cord Blood Bank is currently accepting cord blood donations from families who give birth at Upstate’s Community Campus, and in mid-2017, will be from families at Crouse Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center. Upstate will then work with other regional hospitals to develop agreements to enable mothers who deliver in these facilities to donate their cord blood -- at no cost. 

The Value of Cord Blood: The umbilical cord, and the cord blood in it, is normally discarded after birth.  However, if collected and stores, cord blood can be used to treat approximately 80 major diseases that include certain cancers and immune diseases for adults and children.  Researchers are also investigating cord blood’s potential for treating additional illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke and much more. 

The Process of Donating Cord Blood: Once a mother has delivered her baby and the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, as is done with all deliveries, a medical provider will then insert a needle into the umbilical vein that is still attached to the placenta. There is no pain for the mother or baby, and their safety is never compromised during delivery.

There is no cost to donate to the Upstate Cord Blood Bank public bank. Donated units will be used for transplantation, locally and nationally, to help save the lives of others.  Expectant mothers should speak with their doctor, if they are interested in donating cord blood. They can also directly call the Upstate Cord Blood Bank at (315) 492-2600.  Upstate will also be opening a private family bank later this year, where cord blood is owned and stored by a family for a fee.  For more information, please visit www.upstatecordbloodbank.com.