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USU students sell plasma to support lifestyle By
Curtis McInelly Kable Smith does not believe in get-rich-quick schemes, but he has found a quick way to make extra cash with very little effort. Smith is a student at Utah State University, studying physical education. He loves sports, both playing them and watching them on television. He has a part-time job at Northeastern Services, helping people with home health care. Every Tuesday and Friday he sells the plasma that his body produces with little effort, and gets paid $20 for sitting at a clinic and watching a movie. This extra money is needed to pay for food and entertainment, because most of his wages pay for rent and tuition. Living expenses are high and well paying jobs are scarce in Logan, so many students find themselves in the same situation. There are hundreds of USU students like Smith, who regularly donate plasma at Western Plasma's clinic at 1061 N. Main. Western Plasma moved from Arizona to Logan in 1999 and has been quite successful because of Logan's student population. "The owner likes places where there are big schools so they can get business with a lot of poor college students," said Jadie Salazar, assistant manager at Western Plasma. Western Plasma has a staff of 17 people who work at different times. Some people work in the front area doing the screening. They take blood samples, ask questions about past activities and check blood pressure, temperature, pulse and weight. Others work in the tech area, setting up machines, taking people off, sealing bottles and putting them in the freezer. Many of these workers are trained phlebotomists. Western Plasma has 30 beds set up, and has one employee for every six donors. The number of employees determines how many people can donate at one time. Salazar said that people just come in when they can, there are no appointments, so it is hard to determine how many people are needed. Most of the staff are college students without degrees. They have been trained on site to perform required duties. "I like the people there. They are fun to make fun of. I have nicknames for all of them, like I call Candice, Candy. She doesn't know how to stick people right," said Smith. Smith also likes the money. "It is better money than I can make at work. I get $20 for an hour-and-a-half and I don't have to do anything," said Smith. "Except for the first time, it took four hours. I had to get a physical and sign waivers. They ask all kinds of questions, explain how the machines work and how plasma is taken from the body, and then finally after two hours I got to give plasma." The Western Plasma brochure states, "before the first unit of plasma is collected a thorough examination by medical personnel is given. A check is made with a nationwide donor deferral registry to ensure that a prospective donor has not tested positive for Hepatitis or HIV at another collection facility. Prospective donors are questioned about their health history and circumstances that may put them "at risk" for being HIV positive, such as having sex with a prostitute, or taking drugs with needles. Drug screening is also performed. Each time a donor returns, the medical history is reviewed, temperature, pulse, blood pressure and weight are taken. In addition, every unit collected is tested for the presence of Hepatitis, HIV, antibodies and antigens." Plasma is the clear yellowish fluid portion of the blood that transports water and nutrients to all the cells in the body. It is composed of about 90% salt and 10% protein and electrolytes. Plasma can be used for transfusions to people who have suffered shock, burns or trauma. It is also used to make many pharmaceutical products. Salazar said that plasma will last for 10 years if kept frozen. Every two weeks Western Plasma sends the plasma they collect to a pharmaceutical company. They are paid a large amount for it, which makes it possible for the company to run the clinic, and also compensate donors for their time. Salazar said that most of the donors are students, but there are also some local people who come in. Some of them are elderly people. She said that most of them do it for the money. Smith supposed that most people work regular jobs as well. He said that some people look untidy and are obviously poor. There are also people who are dressed nice and look professional, but most are students. He said that students are usually more willing to donate, and some even get a thrill or think it is cool. "I don't really worry too much. It's not like my arm is going to fall off, or I will die if they screw up," said Smith. According to an article on the University of Wisconsin Health Services website, (www.uhs.wisc.edu/ex/selfcare/resource/hb-plasma.php), "there are some minor risks involved. Repeated venal puncture is never a good thing. All veins wear out after many uses. Of course the plasma centers use main, large veins, so it would take lots and lots of uses, but over time, especially if there are technician slip-ups, that vein too will wear out." There are very little risks of getting diseases from donating plasma. They are very strict about screening for diseases, and use disposable tubing and fresh needles every time. Donating plasma is similar to donating blood; however, in plasma donation the red blood cells are separated from the plasma and then pumped back into the donor's bloodstream. This is done by a process called apheresis. A needle is placed into the vein and blood is collected by a fully automated system which draws approximately 300 ml of whole blood. The blood is simultaneously mixed with anticoagulant to keep it from clotting while outside the body. The blood is placed in a centrifuge which spins at 7,000 rpm. This separates the blood from the plasma. The plasma is then bottled and the blood is returned to a donor's body. The process is repeated four or five times until the desired amount of plasma is received. Salazar said that the amount of plasma to be donated is based on the person's weight. Salazar said, donors are also advised to eat a healthy diet that is low in fat to keep plasma from being too lipemic (fatty), which is cloudy, and not good for anything. They are also advised to drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine to keep from getting dehydrated. Some people worry about the sores that the 15 gauge needles leave. Salazar said that they do not heal if donors come in twice a week, but those who have not donated for a month do not have sores because they have had time to heal and disappear. Smith said he has not had any problems or side effects. He treats his sores with vitamin-E and tries to eat healthy. He said that the only complaint he has is that they show dumb movies while he is donating.
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