BioLife Plasma opened a new plasma center in Madison Jan. 30, their first to be open in the city and 14th open in the state, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Plasma has been of particular interest for COVID-19 due to convalescent plasma, an effective treatment for patients in critical condition, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic states the treatment involves giving patients hospitalized for COVID-19 plasma from individuals who have recovered from the virus. The plasma contains antibodies to the virus and can boost patients’ ability to fight it
As of now, BioLife has 25 centers that are accepting convalescent plasma donations across the country, but the Madison location is not among them, the Madison center’s manager Matt Waterman said. It is still a possibility in the future, as the FDA will officially license this clinic in four to six months, Waterman said.
“Are you coming in?”
She nodded as Brown propped open the door of Gainesville’s Grifols Biomat USA Plasma Center on 13th Street. The woman provided one of about 1,200 plasma samples the center received that week.
In the doorway, the first thing you encounter is a watermelon-sized container of hand sanitizer. A technician in a mask and lab coat squirts the disinfectant into your hand and takes your temperature with a contactless thermometer. If you are cool enough, you may proceed inside, where every employee sports personal protective equipment and glass shields divide public areas.
The company implemented these precautions to make sure the centers were safe spaces for donors. The plasma collection machines and accompanying chairs have been spread out to accommodate social distancing.
Inside the Grifols Biomat USA Plasma Center, people from all over the community come to donate, with their stories, afflictions and motivations with them.