Why is Cord Blood Useful?

San Diego Blood Bank's Cord Blood Donation Program serves as a public cord blood bank in California and has cord blood collection agreements in place with participating hospitals in the greater San Diego and Sacramento regions.

In the past, when a baby was born the umbilical cord was discarded as medical waste. Medical research has since shown that cord blood is a rich source of life-saving stem cells that can be used to treat serious health problems in patients. Now blood from the umbilical cord is collected after a baby's birth and can be donated to a public cord blood bank like the one at San Diego Blood Bank. That cord blood can help someone with a life-threatening disease.