Anja Health adds cord blood banking as an employee benefit

Anja Health is offering cord blood, cord tissue and placenta banking as a workplace benefit for eligible expecting employees and urging other employers to consider the same. The move positions stem cell banking as a family-support perk at birth, when these materials can only be collected.

Why it matters: - Anja Health is trying to move cord blood, cord tissue and placenta banking from a niche family decision into the employee benefits conversation. - The benefit is aimed at expecting employees at a moment when these materials can only be collected: at birth. - Employers looking to expand family-support offerings may see this as a new option alongside parental leave, fertility benefits and adoption assistance.

What happened: - Anja Health announced that it is providing cord blood, cord tissue and placenta banking as an employee benefit for eligible employees expecting a child. - The company is also inviting other employers to offer the same type of benefit to their workers. - Jan Chen, president and CEO of Anja Health, said the company hopes workplace access will inspire other employers to follow suit.

The details: - Cord blood contains blood-forming stem cells used in established treatments for certain blood, immune system and metabolic disorders. - Cord tissue and placenta contain different cells and biological materials that are being studied in regenerative medicine and cellular therapy research. - Anja Health says the benefit gives expecting employees another option during a particularly meaningful stage of life. - Anja Health works with Vitalant for laboratory services. - Vitalant is a nonprofit blood and biotherapies healthcare organization founded in 1943. - Vitalant operates about 115 donation centers nationwide and supports patients at about 900 hospitals across the U.S. - Vitalant specialty laboratories perform about 1.45 million tests and 7,200 clinical procedures each year, serving about 320,000 patients. - Vitalant Cord Blood Services is based in Allendale, New Jersey. - Vitalant’s cord blood program is accredited by AABB and the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and licensed by California, New Jersey, New York and Maryland. - Vitalant is a founding member of AABB. - Anja Health says the company provides personalized guidance through collection planning, transportation, processing and storage.

Between the lines: - The announcement reflects a broader push by employers to compete on family benefits, not just pay and traditional leave policies. - Pairing a personalized service with Vitalant’s scale and accreditations is likely meant to reduce concerns about trust and lab quality. - The pitch is not that every employee will use the benefit, but that the benefit can matter deeply in a life event employees remember.

What’s next: - Anja Health is encouraging employers of all sizes to explore whether cord blood, cord tissue and placenta banking fits their benefits strategy. - Companies interested in the concept can work with Anja Health to design a program for their organization. - Employers can contact Anja Health to discuss adding the benefit for employees who are growing their families.

The bottom line: - Anja Health is betting that birth-related stem cell banking can become a workplace perk, and that employers may see value in offering it as part of a broader family-benefits package.