by Neelam Mehta
Daily Lobo
Selling plasma is one of the few ways to spend an hour of the day for a good cause while actually getting paid for it.
The process is time consuming, but a person can make as much as $210 per month donating plasma, said Nathan Callender, manager of Yale Blood Plasma Inc.
"The first time a new donor comes in, the process takes about two hours because they have to go through an extensive background check and a physical," Callender said. "After that, donating plasma rarely takes more than an hour at most."
Callender said only 15 percent of the donors at the plasma center are UNM students. Many potential donors are hesitant because of the negative stigma associated with such a procedure, he said.
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"Anytime there are needles and the transfer of bodily fluids, there is apprehension about the possibility of catching something," Callender said. "All plasma centers strive to keep the procedure as sterile as possible, and with the advances in technology, the procedure has never been safer."
Plasma is the clear solution in blood which helps circulate red and white cells and platelets. It can be used to make medicines that create clotting factor concentrates and immune deficiency boosters for patients with HIV or AIDS and those treated with chemotherapy.
Plasma can be directly injected into accident victims since no matching of blood types is needed, unlike with blood.
Plasma donations require a process in which blood is collected and then separated from the plasma. After plasma is separated, the remaining red blood cells are returned to the donor, reducing the trauma to the donor's body, said Jessica Arballo, manager of ZLB Plasma Services in Albuquerque.
She said the organization collects more than 5,000 liters of plasma a month, providing an invaluable service to the medical community.
"The plasma we collect is used in numerous medicines, including medication for newborn babies and Albumin, a fluid carried by emergency medical personnel that is given through an IV to burn victims and people in shock," Arballo said.
More than 300 donors visit ZLB Plasma Services a week and the average participant is between the ages of 23-47 and is most often a male, she said.
Callender said younger males comprise the largest donor group at Yale Blood Plasma. The majority of them, she said, donate for the money.
"I'd like to think the majority of people do it because it is for such a good cause, but the reality is most people see it as a way to make a quick buck," Callender said.
Many UNM students who have donated plasma said the money is a factor in their decisions, but the fact that it's going to a good cause is not lost on them.
Rocky Cisneros, a UNM sophomore, said he donated plasma twice after his aunt was injured badly in a car accident and her life was saved because of it.
"I never really knew just how helpful these contributions are," Cisneros said. "But after seeing it first hand, I know. Every drop of that stuff is going for a real cause."
