Cord Blood Bank Encourages Donations from Aboriginals

In many minority communities, a shortage of cord blood stem cells is a primary concern. Should a member of a minority group fall ill, the chances of finding stem cells to help treat their condition are slim. Many cord blood banks are now looking to solve this problem by encouraging minority parents to consider donating or banking their children’s cord blood. One such organization is the Australian Cord Blood Bank, which is promoting cord blood awareness among Aboriginal mothers.

Clark states that there is a low stock of cord blood for indigenous people across the country. Aboriginal people through Australia are rarely able to find stem cell matches to help them treat varying blood disorders. According to Clark, Aboriginals have unique tissue, and are very difficult to match.

The program was started by the Australian Cord Blood Bank in 2007, and since then, it has obtained a great deal of support from local health communities.  The director of the cord blood bank, Pamela Clark, has been speaking with mothers across the Northern Territory, and she believes that her work is making a difference. Over the years, an increasing number of parents have started to consider the option of banking or donating their children’s cord blood.