SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Plasma is the liquid part of your blood that has many jobs that keep you alive. It can also be used to treat immune disorders and other illnesses.
According to a recent study from the Society for Financial Studies, the United States Supplies 70 percent of global plasma. That's because the US is one of the few countries to allow donors to be compensated and allows donors to donate frequently, up to twice a week.
According to the study, between January 2014 and July 2021, the number of plasma centers nationwide more than doubled.
It says the primary reasons listed for donating plasma are paying for day-to-day essentials and emergencies, non-essential spending, and debt repayment.
There are a number of plasma donation centers in the Michiana area.
Curtis Lyons visited a plasma donation center in Mishawaka on Thursday.
“This is actually my second time here. Like I said, I've done it before. Honestly, it's just easy money. You lay down, you listen to your headphones, you watch TV. Donating your plasma is very helpful for everything that they use it for,” said Lyons.
That same 2024 study says people can make anywhere from $50 to $200 per donation.
“If you're a new donor, I mean, if they have a promotion, which is how I ended up here, you can make like $750 the first month. If you're like a regular donor, you probably make about $120 a week,” said Lyons.
Blood donor recruitment specialist at the South Bend Medical Foundation, Leslie Crawford, explains how plasma donation centers differ from the traditional non-profit blood donation center.
“Generally, the plasma that's used at the plasma donation centers is for pharmaceutical development, ours goes directly to patients. So that's really the big difference. It doesn't necessarily impact us because we collect blood and platelets, but it does with the ability to give money. We can't pay donors. Ours is all through volunteer donations,” said Crawford.
She says they take plasma from blood and platelet donations, and those unpaid donations stay local to be used at area hospitals.
“Plasma is used for trauma victims, burn patients, things like that. Usually, it's the trauma victims that we're trying to help at Memorial Hospital, the plasma that's taken here is given to those patients,” said Crawford
Crawford says donating blood is a lot faster than donating plasma and it takes about ten minutes.
The 2024 study also explores the demographics of plasma donors and potential ethical issues related to the idea that companies buying the plasma could exploit financial desperation.