Find the Best Cord Blood Banking in Omaha, NE

Is cord blood banking worth it?

More than 7,000 births happen in Omaha each year, and a majority of these births belong to young families living in neighborhoods like Aksarben Village and Millard as well as the suburbs of Elkhorn, Gretna, Papillion and La Vista.

For families living in these areas of Omaha, umbilical cord blood can be a lifesaver. Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which help to treat conditions that affect the blood and the immune system, such as:

• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Sickle cell anemia
• Tay-Sachs disease
• Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
• Osteopetrosis

Cord blood banking in Omaha preserves these stem cells so that they’re available when people need them.

Cord blood banking pros and cons

While cord blood stem cells give access to new treatments, weighing both the pros and cons of cord blood banking in Omaha helps you make an informed decision about whether it’s right for you.

How is cord blood stored?

Both private and public companies provide cord blood banking in Omaha:

• When you store cord blood in a private blood bank in Omaha, you have exclusive access to it. Private cord blood banks reserve the blood for your family, and no one else can use it without your permission.
• When you store cord blood at a public blood bank in Omaha, anyone who needs stem cell therapy and is a genetic match can use your cord blood. That means there's no guarantee your donation will be available if you ever need it, and the cord blood registry has the right to do whatever they see fit with your sample, including discarding it or giving it to medical researchers.

All cord blood banks, whether they are private or public, must register with the Food and Drug Administration, and most have to obtain a biologics license as well.

Cord blood banking companies may also have accreditations from AABB and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. Accreditation from both organizations is not a requirement, but it means a cord blood bank meets stricter service standards.

How much does cord blood banking cost in Omaha?

It’s usually free to store cord blood at a public blood bank, but, if you choose to store at a private blood bank in Omaha, expect to pay between $1,400 and $2,500 for initial enrollment fees to collect, test and register the blood. Annual storage fees, on average, cost $150 per year. Costs vary depending on the services the cord blood registry offers.

Most blood banks in Omaha have payment plans available, allowing families to spread out the cost of cord blood storage over time.

Typically, insurance companies do not help cover the cost of cord blood banking in Omaha. In rare cases, insurance may reimburse families for cord blood banking if they have a child with an illness that benefits from stem cell therapy. Check with your insurance provider to be sure.

Who can use cord blood?

Cord blood stem cells can help family members and anyone who is a genetic match, not just the donor child and mother. Families in Omaha with a history of immune- or blood-related diseases may significantly benefit from storing their cord blood, given the higher likelihood that someone in the family will eventually need it.

It’s often especially hard for racial minorities and people with rare genetics to find matching cord blood donations. While this rarity might encourage people in these groups to seek private cord blood banking in Omaha, it also means that any public cord blood donation they give is more impactful.

Check with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for more information about donating umbilical cord blood in Omaha.