HOW TO START A CORD BLOOD PROGRAM
Emmi Solutions: EmmiŽ Cord Blood Storage Options ProgramThe Perks Program
About the Dan Berger Cord Blood Program
The following is a step-by-step guide paving the way to creating a cord blood program at your hospital or medical center. No hospital is too small to employ a program.
The goal of each hospital should be to initiate and implement processes that both educate and offer cord blood collection options to expectant parents. October 2008 marked the one-year anniversary of The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program. Magee-Womens Foundation hosted a one-year update addressing how to begin a cord blood program, current cord blood research initiatives, and a survivor story. Download the presentation and watch videos from the one-year update.
The following steps are just a general overview of how to begin a Cord Blood Program. If you are interested in employing The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program at your institution, or have questions, please contact Mary Wiegel, Dan Berger Cord Blood Program manager, at mwiegel@itxm.org or 412-209-7479 or 412-327-6025.
Step One:
-Select hospital contact or committee to work on development of the program
in collaboration with the program manager.
-Decide on the overall design of the program.
-Contract with with ITxM Clinical Services (public bank affiliated with the National
Marrow Donor Program) to offer a public donation option.
-Decide which private organizations to work with (Magee-Womens Hospital of
UPMC is contracted with CorCell, ViaCord, and Cord Blood Registry).
Step Two:
-With the assistance of the program manager, determine the quantity of marketing
materials that need to be ordered and the costs incurred.
Step Three:
-Layout the transportation process for public cord bloods to ITxM
Clinical Services.
-Work with program manager to decide whether to courier public cord bloods
to Pittsburgh or directly to lab the in Chicago, Ill.
-Note: There is a brief, 48-hour time window to process cord blood units
Step Four:
-Devise a plan to garner buy-in of Cord Blood Program for all hospital staff.
-Buy-in is needed from the following: Hospital Administrators, Physicians,
Labor & Delivery Nurses/staff, Post-partum Nurses/staff, and anyone else
involved with the program’s progress.
You have a duty to educate expectant parents or anyone else interested in learning about their cord blood options. We suggest utilizing the Emmi® tool. All patients of UPMC physicians have access to this helpful tool; however, patients not under the care of a UPMC physician may not. Please consult your physician for further details.
Hospital representatives interested in contracting with Emmi should contact Jennifer Wasco at jwasco@emmisolutions.com or 724-940-1046.
For more information about starting a program, contact Mary Wiegel, The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program manager, at mwiegel@itxm.org, 412-209-7479, or 412-327-6025.
THE DAN BERGER CORD BLOOD PERKS PROGRAM
Top of the PageBelow are the three Perks Program levels you have to choose from to officially join The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program. What level you choose determines the variety of marketing materials available to you to educate expectant parents. If you are already part of the Perks Program and need to re-order marketing materials, please contact Mary at mwiegel@itxm.org.
If your organization is unable to join the Perks Program at this time, please note that you can still have a public donation option available at your site through the National Marrow Donor Program. The drawbacks to not joining The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program are: you won't have Dan Berger Cord Blood Program-branded educational materials available, no certificates will be mailed to those mothers who donated/stored their baby's cord blood, your institution won't be listed on this website for expectant parents to see, and you will have no contracted private banks included in your cord blood program. Keep in mind that having a public option is better than no option at all.
For more information about joining The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program, please contact Mary Wiegel at mwiegel@itxm.org, 412-209-7479, or 412-327-6025.
BRONZE LEVEL $500
You will receive Dan Berger Cord Blood Program brochures and fliers to supply
appropriate medical offices informing
patients about their cord blood options. In addition, all donors will receive
a certificate recognizing their contribution of umbilical cord blood.
SILVER LEVEL $1500
You will receive Dan Berger Cord Blood Program brochures and fliers to supply
appropriate medical offices informing
patients about their cord blood options. In addition, all donors will receive
a certificate recognizing their contribution of umbilical cord blood. Lastly,
you will receive picture frame magnets to send out to donors or potential
donors.
GOLD LEVEL $2500
You will receive Dan Berger Cord Blood Program brochures and fliers to supply
appropriate medical offices informing
patients about their cord blood options. In addition, all donors will receive
a certificate recognizing their contribution of umbilical cord blood. Lastly,
you will receive baby t-shirts (six months) to mail to donors.
If you are interested in joining our Perks Program, please contact Mary Wiegel at mwiegel@itxm.org.
Emmi Solutions: EmmiŽ Cord Blood Storage Options Program (for Hospital Administrators)
Top of the PageHelp Patients Learn about their Cord Blood Options
Do your patients have questions about umbilical cord
blood storage? Help them make informed decisions about their care while reducing
explanation time for physicians and nurses. Use the interactive, online Emmi
program
to engage patients in their own care.
What is Emmi?
Emmi is a communication platform that engages patients and positively impacts
the patient experience throughout the continuum of care.
The web-based programs are used by healthcare organizations to improve business
outcomes - from increasing patient satisfaction to mitigating risk and extending
the reach of caregivers.
How Can Emmi Programs Improve Best Practices?
Web-based Emmi programs extend the reach of caregivers by connecting with patients
along the continuum of care—engaging patients when they are ready to
learn. These award-winning Emmi programs:
o Reduce the amount of time staff spends answering questions
o Add value to existing educational resources
o Improve customer service and patient satisfaction
o Increase quality of care and promote patient safety
o Mitigate malpractice risk
“This is a wonderful way to teach your patients about what is to be expected. My husband found it easy and informative and very professional. This shows that you care about us.” -Emmi Patient
Developed in partnership with Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC and Christiana Care Health System, the Emmi Umbilical Cord Blood Options program is an engaging, web-based educational program that presents unbiased information to patients about their cord blood storage options.
Are
you a healthcare provider and would like to know more about Emmi programs
or how to obtain Emmi programs for your practice or department? Please contact
Jennifer Wasco, RN, BSN, OCNŽ at jwasco@emmisolutions.com or
724-940-1046.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Top of the PageDownload your free copy of The Dan Berger Cord Blood brochure.
The Story of Dan Berger:
Dan Berger was a prominent Pittsburgh attorney, citizen, and humanitarian who
was diagnosed with cancer. After many years of treatment and remission,
Dan received a successful stem cell transplant to cure him of both the lymphoma
and the leukemia that ensued. In July of 2006, Dan’s heart
failed. It was in the course of his treatment that Dan and his wife,
Carol, recognized the lifesaving impact of stem cells, and in particular,
umbilical cord blood, which is rich in stem cells.
The Berger family approached Magee-Womens Foundation to encourage a systematic collection of umbilical cord blood. With much hard work and dedication, Magee publicly unveiled The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program in October 2007.
The program is distinct because the hospital offers expectant parents three cord blood options from which to choose – donate to a public bank or research, or store in a private bank. Expectant parents can donate to the public bank ITxM, or one of three contracted private banks including CorCell, ViaCord, and Cord Blood Registry.
Cord blood stem cells have been used to treat more than 40 diseases, including many cancers, and account for more than 8,000 transplants worldwide and offers hope to many families, like the Berger family.
Donating or preserving cord blood is a great way to advance research and medical developments in hopes of finding cures for many diseases including cancer and diabetes. Learn more about ways to Support the Future of Medical Discoveries.
The state of Pennsylvania passed legislature, House Bill 874, requiring hospitals that offer baby delivery services to educate expectant parents about their cord blood options and then be able to accommodate such requests. Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC has taken the initiative to lead by example in educating other hospitals and medical centers about how to establish a cord blood program.
Magee-Womens Foundation
The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program was established through Magee-Womens Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1984 to support the efforts of Magee-Womens Research Institute and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC through philanthropy. The Foundation's philanthropic efforts sustain research, educational outreach, and improved patient care. While all donations stay at Magee, their results can have global impact on the health of women and infants.Since its founding, Magee-Womens Foundation has raised more than $70 million from public and private sources. These funds have been used to enhance research and patient care throughout the Magee system.
Thank You
in partnership with UPMC Health Plan and Highmark Foundation.