Mike Walters, a bartender at Buffalo Wild Wings, sits in the waiting room at ZLB Plasma Services on West 24th Street. The tile in the waiting room is shoddy, construction workers hammer away in half of the building, and spots are hard to come by in the modest parking lot. That's because ZLB Plasma Services spends its money on the customer - donors who can make up to $45 for a plasma donation.
"Ive been coming here for the past eight years, two times a week," Walters said.
ZLB Plasma Services collects the liquid portion of a donor's blood - a process called plasmapheresis. The process separates the cellular portion of blood, containing red and white blood cells, and returns it to the donor's bloodstream. The liquid portion is collected to aid in bleeding and infection control. The cash offer has attracted potential donors looking for a little something extra. Walters donates plasma and receives the cash compensation as another source of income.
"$260 a month, that pays the bills," Walters said.
ZLB Plasma, with 60 locations across the country, has experienced major growth in donations in the past several years. Christine Kuhinka, corporate communications manager of ZLB's parent company CSL Behring, said the service is seeing more donations, not donors.
"Ninety percent of our donors make a long-term commitment and they donate regularly."
Donors keep coming back to donate and collect a
sort of second paycheck. In an economy with rising prices across the
board, some people have to.
Kenneth Kearney comes in to donate when he's not working. While donating for about the fifteenth time since overcoming his fear of needles three months ago, Kearney said it's nice to have the money for gas and cigarettes.
"It's about $5 for a pack of cigarettes, almost $5 for a gallon of gas, almost $5 for an energy drink," Kearney said. "You need that just to get to work, and you can get that money here."
In 2005, the the plasma industry collected 10.3 million
donations. It reported 12.4 million in 2006, and 15.3 million donations in
2007.
According to the center's brochure, many of the collection facilities are located near major colleges and universities. Facilities in Kansas exist in Lawrence, Manhattan near Kansas State University and Wichita near Wichita State University.
Kuhinka says college students
make great donors.
"They are ideal because
generally speaking, college students are young, healthy, and donate well,"
Kuhinka said. "They are also well aware of being compensated."
Curt Pahmahmie, 19, a Haskell student, said he has donated twice a week since last spring.
"I use it for gas money,
cell phone bills, anything really," Pahamahmie said. "If you're
behind on payments or need the cash for something, it's perfect."
Pahmahmie said many Haskell students come donate regularly for the same reasons. Donors only need to be 18 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have infectious diseases.
Not everyone donates out of financial need. Levi Wilks, 18, who attends Lawrence High School, said he's donated more than 10 times just to have fun money.
"A couple weeks ago, me
and about eight friends used the cash to go to World of Fun," Wilks said. Wilks
and his friends spent the day there, and often used their plasma donation cash
to do activities.
Others, such as Barbara Smith, donate for altruistic reasons. Smith donates four or five times a month, and donates her cash.
"I give the cash to the
Battered Women's Association here in Lawrence," Smith said. Smith
comes in to donate when she's not at work, and the process takes her about 60
minutes.
Kuhinka said that many donors
realize the value of their contribution.
"It's a win-win for donors - they save lives and earn money," Kuhinka said.
Kearney said he likes having
the money from donating, but understands his contribution is important.
"It's all about saving lives,"
Kearney said. "Donors come back because it's all for good
causes."
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