There are the usual anecdotes of teachers selling their plasma during a strike or to make ends meet. There are scattered news stories here or there, of course, about plasma as staple of hard-luck life. Millions of plasma donors represent a substantial portion of the US population, and yet we hear little about it as a segment of the American gig economy. More than 1,000 paid plasma centers thrive across the country, often concentrated in poorer zip codes and college towns, luring in donors with financial rewards of hundreds of dollars a month if they go twice a week, and keeping them hooked on the ability to supplement their incomes. As one of only five countries – including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary – in the world that allows donors to be paid for their plasma, with a large and growing population of people on the economic ropes, the US has become a primary source provider of an essential bodily fluid that is spun into profit-making medicines. In 2021, the global blood plasma industry was valued at $24bn. The business centered on Americans’ blood plasma is a hugely profitable one. The number stunned me then, but in the bigger picture, maybe it’s not that hard to believe. It’s also a tale of a system that relies on economic precarity, a hidden part of the US economy shunted off in strip malls by the Dollar Store or relegated to the poorer sides of the tracks in major cities, in places often neglected and ignored.īy the roughest guess, working backward from the number of plasma units collected in a single year, you could surmise that up to 20 million people in the US donate or sell their blood plasma, the yellowish liquid protein component of blood, in a year. It’s a tale of Americans who sell their blood proteins to get by financially, and my own physical dependence on them (I need regular plasma injections to keep me healthy). It was a central question that had puzzled me for years. No appointment is necessary.ĭuring a typical month the Blood Donor Center must draw blood from at least 2,500 donors to meet the blood needs of patients in our community.I paused for a minute and thought about it for what must have been the thousandth time. You may donate every eight weeks (up to six times a year) at the Blood Donor Center or a mobile drive. For other donation types, the process (from arrival to departure) takes approximately:Ĥ5 minutes to collect two units of red blood cellsĩ0 minutes to collect apheresis plateletsĪfter you donate, you'll be given a light refreshment. The actual blood collection takes only about 10 minutes. The blood donation process takes approximately 30 minutes from the time you check in to the time you leave. First, you will be asked to complete the donor registration/medical history form. What to Expect When You Donate When you arrive at the Blood Donor Center our staff will make every effort to accommodate you as soon as possible. Since active participation by volunteer donors is critical to the availability of blood, we urge all eligible people to donate blood on a regular basis. Know the names of any medications you currently takeĭid you know you can give blood even if you take medication for high blood pressure, take hormones or have diabetes that is controlled. Weigh 110 pounds or more for men & 115 pounds or more for women The safe, simple 90-minute process involves separating platelets from the blood using a blood cell separator. Replacement donors play a key role in replenishing the blood supply for the next patient in need of a transfusion.Īpheresis donors donate blood platelets. ![]() Replacement donors give blood to replace the blood used by a patient-a particularly special way for family and friends to show their love and support. There are four main types of blood donors:Īutologous donors give blood so that it may be transfused back to him or her during an upcoming surgery.
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