Plasma center offers alternative income for college students

By Lisa Gass
Western Herald

In Kalamazoo, you can make anywhere from $25.00 to $70.00 a week by
donating plasma.

Some college students take such a heavy class load
that they find themselves not having time for a job. When tough
times arise and students need money, some find themselves donating
plasma.

While some skepticism exists regarding the process from hearsay of
friends who have experienced this, it appears donating plasma may
not be such a terrible experience after all. BioMat USA is located
downtown Kalamazoo and is one of two plasma donation centers in
town.

“BioMat makes medicines to treat life threatening diseases. Our
number one priority is the health and safety of our donors,” said
Chris Healey, vice president of public affairs for Grifols BioMat.

“Our second priority is that all plasma is safe for the benefit
of our patients,” he added.

Healey confirmed there are risks involved with donating plasma, as
there are risks for any medical procedure one has done. At BioMat,
the risks of donating plasma are given to you before you begin the
donation process.

Dr. Lisa Marshall, medical director of Sindecuse Health Center,
spoke to the Western Herald regarding risks for students considering
donating plasma for money.

“The health risks of plasma donation are fairly minimal. Mild reactions such as fainting, dizziness, temporary decrease in blood pressure, or discomfort at the injection
site are more common than true health complications. Worsening
anemia, which is a decrease in red blood cell count, and changes in
immune proteins may occur with more frequent plasma donations.
Typically, these complications are not considered to be serious and
can be treated under the management of a health professional. Plasma
centers also monitor the number of donations a person provides
during a period to minimize complications and risks,” she said.

Melanie Chwan, a 19-year-old WMU student donated plasma
for the first time at Biomat USA. The driving force to her
donation was money.

“Of course it felt good knowing that I was
helping somebody, but they paid me,” said Chwan.

Chwan says of her own personal experience that they were more
interested in her health than explaining the risks.

“They asked my medical history, did a physical and checked my eyes, nose, ears,
mouth, heart, lungs, and stomach organs. They asked my sexual
history, asked about basic diseases, took a urine sample, and also
did a finger prick blood test,” said Chwan.

The collection of plasma itself uses a needle Chwan compared to the
size of a headphone cord. But it wasn’t the size of the needle that
got to her. She says the hardest part of her experience was the
“finger prick” procedure.

“I almost had a panic attack. The guy
told me I was going to have to come back because after the finger
prick my blood pressure was too high. So they sat me in the waiting
room until I was calm,” she recalls.

Chwan was hydrated just enough to donate and says she felt fine
while donating. She didn’t see anyone vomit or pass out. “But they
did tell me that happened to someone yesterday,” she said.

While Chwan knows how important it is to donate plasma, she says she’ll
only go back if she’s really desperate for cash. Advice she has for
people planning to donate, “drink lots and lots of water before and
after and eat a big meal.”

Chwan is correct. Students interested in donating plasma for money
should keep hydrated, avoiding excessive alcohol intake, obtain an
adequate amount of sleep and maintain a healthy diet in order to
reduce negative consequences prior to plasma donation, according to
Marshall.

Marshall also says it’s very important for students to
hold off on donating plasma if they are currently ill as it can aid
in complications. Marshall can recall only one student in the past three years
visiting Sindecuse for a complication due to donating plasma.

“Since plasma donation centers must follow federal and state standards and
regulations, students should feel safe walking into centers licensed
to perform this function,” said Marshall.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=17963

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Jun 27 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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