Cord Blood Registry (CBR), a newborn stem cell company, and the U.S. Women's Health Alliance have partnered on a nationwide patient education and quality initiative to ensure all expectant parents understand their options regarding umbilical cord stem cell collection and possibly improve medical outcomes for their families.

Together, the Alliance and CBR will educate parents on umbilical cord and tissue banking options and advance clinical research by screening for high-risk pregnancies and families pre-diagnosed with a condition that might benefit from participating in CBR's Newborn Possibilities Program, which provides free cord blood and cord tissue processing and five years of storage to qualifying families. The Alliance and CBR also will collaborate to improve the quality of cord blood collections to maximize the number of cells collected and minimize contamination.

"Our mission is to promote high-quality, affordable healthcare through collaboration with doctors, insurance companies, hospitals, government and private industry," said Jack Feltz, M.D, president of the U.S. Women's Health Alliance. 

"Many expectant parents are unaware of the value that umbilical cord blood stem cells may offer to the advancement of medicine and potentially, to their own family's health. As a result, most newborn stem cells are discarded as medical waste," says Geoff Crouse, CEO of Cord Blood Registry. "Stem cells found in the umbilical cord play a vital role in advancing regenerative medicine, and have the potential to revolutionize treatment for many conditions in the future.”