CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank and its program at South Miami Hospital are being featured on CNN en Espanol's show "Salud." This story on the importance of cord blood donation aired this week and can be seen Friday, February 5 at 9:30 a.m. EST and Sunday, February 7 at 9 a.m. EST and 3 p.m. EST on CNN en Espanol. Additionally, the story can be viewed at www.corduse.com by clicking on this press release on the front page.
"As CNN en Espanol broadcasts all around the world, we are very pleased that this cord blood news piece will help build awareness of the importance of cord blood donation in the Hispanic community," says CORD:USE President and CEO Edward S. Guindi, M.D. "This is particularly helpful as the Hispanic and Latino community will benefit from greater representation in the national cord blood inventory and bone marrow registries."
Cord blood is the stem cell rich blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following the birth of a baby. Cord blood can help to save the lives of critically ill patients and has been used for transplantation in more than 16,000 patients with over 70 life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, thalassemia, and sickle cell anemia. Cord blood is a non-controversial source of stem cells and has widespread religious and governmental support.
There is an urgent need to increase the public inventory of cord blood units to find suitable matches for patients in need of a transplant, particularly units donated from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Because the markers used in matching potentially lifesaving cord blood and bone marrow are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. Adding more cord blood units from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the National Marrow Donor Program's Be The Match Registry® increases the likelihood that all patients will find the match they need.
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