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Home > Archive > Feb 14, 2008

Plasma in Demand, Cash in Hand
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
A new business in town is giving out cash for a good deed.
“It's just our way of saying, 'Thank you for coming in today and donating,'”said Rick Schroeder, BioLife Plasma Services center manager. “They are making a difference in someone else's life.”
BioLife, located at 816 N. 2860 East in St. George, officially opened its doors on Feb. 7. One of 55 nationwide plasma service centers owned by healthcare corporation Baxter International, BioLife's mission is simple.
“We are in the business of collecting plasma, and the plasma is then used for life-saving therapeutics,” Schroeder said. “We compensate an individual for the time it takes them to donate plasma.”
In the amount of time it takes to watch a feature-length movie, individuals can enter BioLife's new 15,000 square-foot facility, donate plasma and walk away with some extra spending money. And the process is virtually risk-free, pain-free.
“You don't feel it being taken out from you,” Schroeder said.
Plasma, the yellow liquid component of blood, is composed primarily of water and proteins that help control bleeding and infection, and it also helps circulate red and white blood cells and platelets throughout the body.
The plasma harvested at BioLife centers is processed at one of two factories – one in Los Angeles and one in Austria – and is used to make a variety of medicines, from ointments and creams to injectable medications to treat illnesses from cancer to hemophilia. So when individuals give plasma at BioLife, they are not only making extra money, they are making a difference.
“The first motivation to come in and donate would be out of the goodness of their own heart, for them to realize that they are making a difference in someone else's life,” Schroeder said.
Then there is, of course, the secondary motive for donating plasma – the money.
“You have those people who come in to donate that think, 'Yeah, I'm doing a good thing, and it makes me feel good, and I'm paying for my gas for this month,'” Schroeder said, “and there's nothing wrong with that, there really isn't.”
When an individual donates blood, it takes the body about eight weeks to replenish its blood supply before another donation can take place, according to information from BioLife. Plasma, on the other hand, is easily replaced by the body, so healthy plasma donors can give plasma as often as twice a week.
For their plasma donations, donors are paid $20 for each session, and if they schedule two sessions for the same week, they receive a bonus $10.
“In one week, they can make $50,” Schroeder said.
All plasma donors must undergo initial physical examinations to donate, and before each subsequent donation, they must answer health-screening questions, and all plasma donations are tested, as well, before being shipped out for use. This is to ensure the health of the donor and the safety of the plasma being given.
“There are multiple filters that are in place to ensure donor safety as well as plasma safety,” Schroeder said.
During the donation process, known as plasmapheresis, there is an initial sticking with a needle, as with donating blood; but from then on, there is virtually no pain or discomfort, Schroeder said, and plasma donors can just sit back and relax during the 45 minutes or so it takes to complete the plasmapheresis process.
“You'll have a lot of college students that will come in and bring in their laptops or study for finals,” he said. “They'll be on their laptops or watching movies.”
When giving plasma, donors are hooked up to a device that, as it harvests the plasma, simultaneously separates it from the other blood components; the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are then filtered through the machine and returned to the body. Donating plasma is different from donating blood in this way, Schroeder said, because it doesn't deplete the body of blood cells or leave the donor physically weakened.
“This is where it's going to be different than donating blood, because sometimes when you donate blood, you feel a little weak, maybe a little woozy, because you've lost those red blood cells,” he said.
After plasmapheresis is completed, donors are hooked up intravenously to a bag of saline to replenish their fluids, and then they are out the door.
“The donor's on their way. They can go to school, go to the gym, go for a run. They feel fine,” Schroeder said.
Research regarding plasma and its potential uses is ongoing, he said, and the demand for plasma is ever-increasing.
Plasma donated at the new St. George facility will potentially be used all over the world, so those donating can rest assured that they're helping others in need, while at the same time generating extra spending money for themselves, he said.
A donor's first visit to BioLife takes a little over two hours with the initial physical exam; subsequent visits take about an hour-and-a-half.
There is a supervised waiting area for children at BioLife, which is free for donors' use, so parents with kids can donate.
BioLife Plasma Services is located at 816 N. 2860 East in St. George (behind Costco). For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 627-9102. More information about BioLife can also be accessed online at www.biolifeplasma.com.

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