January 17, 2024 - Pittsburgh, PA
Medically vulnerable infants in Pennsylvania will have expanded access to potentially life-saving pasteurized donor human milk thanks to legislation recently passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Josh Shapiro. Act 32 of 2023, Owen's Law, takes effect this week and increases access to pasteurized donor human milk by expanding the number of health conditions eligible for Medicaid-covered donor human milk. This law can help supplement a mother's milk, and provide more options to support healthy growth for infants. "Pasteurized donor human milk can be lifesaving, and the Shapiro-Davis Administration wants to make it easier for infants who need it to have access," said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen during a news conference at the Mid-Atlantic Mother's Milk Bank in Pittsburgh. "Milk banks like this one, and the one at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, make it possible for all infants who need donor milk as medicine to get it if their mother's own milk is not available to meet their needs.Speakers Include:Denise O'Connor, Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Mother's Milk BankDr. Debra Bogen, Acting Secretary of HealthSecond Lady of Pennsylvania Blare Holmes DavisSara Goulet, Special Advisor to DHS Secretary Dr. Val ArkooshSen. Jay CostaRep. Nick PisciottanoSen. Lindsey WilliamsRep. Arvind VenkatRep. Rob MercuriRep. La'Tashe MayesDr. Amaka Nnamani
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