But nothing beats getting paid to just lie around, he said with a smile as he clenched and relaxed his fist, a long tube snaking from the needle in his left arm to the machine at his side.
For the past year and a half, he's been paying twice-weekly visits to Missoula's BioLife Plasma Center, which gives him $20 for his first weekly plasma sale and $30 for the second. That money goes directly toward paying bills, O'Donnell explained as he tapped with one hand at the laptop computer he used to study.
About 75 percent of BioLife's “customers” are regulars like O'Donnell, said local and regional manager Tim Andersen, adding that a handful have been visiting on a near-weekly basis since the center first opened its doors five years ago. In recent months the center has been collecting more than 1,000 units of plasma each week - a number Andersen would like to see doubled.
Patients come in for a variety of reasons, but the easy money is undoubtedly a big draw. Last year alone BioLife handed out a total $1.5 million in compensation to patients.
A healthy individual can make up to $50 a week. That's $200 a month; $2,400 a year.
“It's an augment to income,” Andersen said, adding that he knows of one patient who saved up enough to buy her husband a DVD player for Christmas, and another who saved up enough for a trip to Hawaii.
Each plasma drawing takes less than 90 minutes, and if for any reason they aren't able to collect a full bag of plasma, the patient will still be compensated for his time, Andersen said. Indeed, the primary reason Biolife compensates its patients is because it recognizes that people lead busy lives and don't necessarily have the time to spare, he said.
“We're not paying for the donor's plasma, we're paying for the donor's time,” he said.
Apart from the money, some patients - especially young parents - appreciate the opportunity to relax for an hour or so while their children are supervised in a toy-filled waiting area free of charge.
“A lot of young moms like it because they get a chance to read, look at a magazine - they get some down time,” Andersen said. “Also, we have several regulars who are donating solely because they have someone in their family who needs these services.”
Plasma is the yellow liquid that makes up about 60 percent of whole blood and helps control bleeding and infection. It's possible to give plasma as often as twice a week because the body replaces it in about 24 hours. Whole blood, on the other hand, can take up to eight weeks.
“The difference between us and a blood collection agency is that our patients need this their entire lives,” Andersen explained.
BioLife Plasma Services, a subsidiary of Baxter Healthcare Corp., collects human plasma to be made into a dozen different life-saving medicines. One is used to treat hemophilia, a disorder in which the blood doesn't clot. Another is used to boost antibodies in immunodeficient patients who are otherwise dangerously susceptible to infections.
One of the oldest plasma products is albumin, which is used to treat burn and shock patients. One of the newest is alpha-1 antitrypsin, an enzyme that helps keep the lungs pliable but that is lacking in those with hereditary emphyzema.
Baxter Healthcare, which celebrated its 75th anniversary Thursday, operates 66 centers in the United States and several more in Europe. Its three Montana plasma collection centers are located in Billings, Great Falls and Missoula, and the company is currently looking at opening a fourth location in Bozeman. At 14,800 square feet, the Missoula center is the state's largest. Last year it collected 42,000 units of plasma - more than any other center in the region, Andersen said.
BioLife aims for communities with a high proportion of residents living a “conservative” lifestyle, and since college students account for well over 30 percent of donations, they also prefer university towns, he said. Additionally, universities provide a continuous supply of health care professionals.
Young parents are particularly great patients because they tend to lead that conservative lifestyle, Andersen said. However, it wouldn't make sense for them to pay a baby sitter just so they could come down and provide plasma, and that's why BioLife set up the free supervised waiting service.
It's just one part of the company's customer service strategy, Andersen said. They also tell providers to plan on a 90-minute process, though the actual average is 72 to 74 minutes.
“We want the donors to be pleased with the experience,” he said.
Here's how it works:
For a first-time visit, patients are required to fill out a form and take a clothes-on physical exam. Then, a finger-poke test is used to measure iron and protein levels. A staff member will take vital signs and ask a series of questions - though sometime in the next month a touch-screen computer will ask the questions instead.
A staff member will also note each patient's weight, because “the less you weigh the less we take,” Andersen explained.
Once all the data are collected, BioLife prints a label that will be attached to the patient's plasma bag. Meanwhile, patients proceed to one of the 48 beds on the floor, where phlebotomists - health workers who specialize in drawing blood - clean the insides of their elbows and hook them up to the machine.
It's very rare for anyone to pass out, Andersen noted. The machine extracts only small amounts of blood at a time, and returns all the red cells to the patient's system so there's no light-headed feeling.
After the plasma is collected, it's submitted to a full battery of tests before it's whisked to the freezer, where it's frozen at minus 40 degrees centigrade. Once the lab results arrive (in about seven to 10 days), the bags are boxed for shipment.
BioLife's biggest challenge remains recruiting more providers, Andersen said. Despite the company's efforts, many people are convinced the process is inconvenient - or worse, painful.
“Fear of the needle, that's the No. 1 reason,” Andersen said.
Needles aren't a problem for O'Donnell. In fact, the first time he tried to donate he was told he couldn't because he'd recently had a tattoo.
In fact, about one-third of the people who try to provide are “deferred” for minor reasons, Andersen said. The top three? Tattoos, new medications and travel overseas.
Perhaps people expect to feel weak or think that providing involves big, painful needles, O'Donnell guessed.
“It's really not bad at all,” he said.
A few beds down, Pat Lawrenson agrees.
“Just a little stick at the beginning,” she said, setting down her magazine. “Sometimes I don't feel it at all.”
She's been providing for a year and a half, initially hoping to put the money toward her three grandsons' college educations. However, she and her husband recently contracted to have their home remodeled, and until those bills are paid that's where the money's going, she said sheepishly.
Lawrenson likes the idea of helping people out and points out that it's another good reason to watch what you eat and stay in good shape.
Giving plasma encourages you to eat healthier and not drink as much alcohol, agreed 25-year-old Lauren Crabtree, who started providing a year ago after a family member and other friends recommended it.
“I just think it's great that Missoula has this for people who maybe don't make much money, or who want a little extra money,” she said. “Some people, I'm sure, just donate the money to a charity.”
She puts her plasma money to a variety of uses, she said. At the moment, it probably wouldn't hurt to start saving up for Christmas presents, she added as a phlebotomist patted her vein into view.
Reporter Tyler Christensen can be reached at 523-5215 or tyler.christensen@lee.net
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tim wrote on Jun 18, 2009 2:17 PM:
" I've donated for a few months and never had problems, except for some bruising.
I have heard and seen some horror stories from people though ranging from veins being punctured or put in wrong to someone who settled a lawsuit over a blood infection. Just yesterday coming back from lunch I saw an ambulance and firetruck in front of the place. Most will have no problems, but I'd still be careful. "
I have heard and seen some horror stories from people though ranging from veins being punctured or put in wrong to someone who settled a lawsuit over a blood infection. Just yesterday coming back from lunch I saw an ambulance and firetruck in front of the place. Most will have no problems, but I'd still be careful. "
darrel armstrong wrote on May 28, 2009 12:00 PM: