How to Make a Positive Impact in Your Community by Donating Plasma

(StatePoint) Plasma donations are essential. Used to produce life-saving medicines that treat rare and serious diseases, your plasma donation can help save lives. Experts say that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not only safe to donate plasma, but that doing so is vital. By donating plasma today, you can help make a difference not only for patients that need plasma therapies, but to your local community.

Here are a few of the most common questions and answers about plasma donation:

Why is plasma donation so important? Patients worldwide use plasma-derived therapies to replace missing or deficient proteins that enable them to lead healthy, productive lives. Many of these patients require regular infusions or injections throughout their lives.

Is donating safe? Plasma donation is performed using a decades old process called plasmapheresis that separates the plasma from the blood, collects it in a bottle, and then returns the other parts of the blood back to the donor.

Plasma donation centers are considered essential businesses, which is why they’re open and operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure high health and safety standards, consider visiting a CSL Plasma location. Their safety precautions include mandatory temperature checks, enhanced disinfecting protocols, use of Personal Protective Equipment and social distancing.

Am I eligible? While these days, donations from those who’ve recovered from COVID-19 are important, providing antibodies that may help treat COVID-19 patients, it remains vital for healthy individuals who have not contracted the coronavirus or COVID-19 to donate their plasma to help save and improve the lives of people suffering from rare and serious diseases such as primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, hemophilia and other bleeding and neurological disorders.

Anyone in good health, between the ages of 18-65, who weighs at least 110 pounds, has no tattoos or piercings within the last four months, has a valid identification and a permanent address, and otherwise meets eligibility requirements, can donate plasma at a CSL Plasma Center.

What if I’ve had COVID-19? If your doctor has confirmed that you’ve fully recovered from COVID-19 and you are no longer contagious, consider donating plasma at a CSL Plasma collection center to directly benefit the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance in its efforts to help develop a treatment.

When is the best time go? No appointment is necessary, so consider going as soon as possible. Qualified CSL Plasma Center donors can receive up to $400 each month. To learn more and find a CSL Plasma collection center, visit cslplasma.com.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s vital that people continue to donate plasma,” says Scott Newkirk, divisional director, Plasma Operations at CSL Plasma. “Our team is taking numerous precautions to keep donors safe.”