What are private banks?
Private banks process and store the UCB product specifically for the donor and/or family. Since the bank may not be associated with a particular hospital, the mother is sent a collection kit to give the health care provider on the day of delivery. The kit contains the collection bag, labels and other materials needed for collection and shipping to the processing facility. The parent(s) pay an initial processing fee and then typically an annual storage fee. The details of this arrangement, including transport, shipping responsibilities, ownership and liability issues, should be described in the contract between the donor and bank. Since the product is intended only for use within the family, donor screening, tissue typing and other tests may or may not be performed on the unit. These policies vary among private banks. It is important to note that units stored in a private bank cannot be “crossed over” for public use unless all of the consent process, screening, infectious disease testin
