Building Plasma Donation Facilities to Help Save Lives

Building Plasma Donation Facilities to Help Save Lives
By Brandt Beer

WDS Construction has been working in the plasma donation environment for several years, repurposing existing buildings into medical clinics and building new facilities from the ground up. We’ve completed several dozen projects across the United States, working to create aesthetic patient spaces and state-of-the-art environments for staff.

But what exactly is plasma donation, and why is it so important?

Plasma is the yellowish, liquid component of blood, accounting for approximately 55% of its overall content. It contains water, proteins, and antibodies. However, unlike whole blood donations, plasma collection involves extracting of the plasma and returning the red blood cells to the donor’s body in a process known as plasmapheresis. This allows donors to give plasma more frequently than whole blood.

Because plasma contains antibodies and proteins that are essential to a number of medical conditions, the need for donated plasma is extremely high. Some patients have conditions that prevent their bodies from even producing these vital components.

Plasma is used for a number of treatments, including:

• Plasma Therapy is used to treat patients battling severe infections, aided by the antibodies present in the plasma. These antibodies can boost a patient’s immune response.
• Clotting Disorders like hemophilia can be aided by plasma-derived therapies, which provide critical clotting assistance to patients.
• Immune Deficiencies can be treated via plasma donations to provide immunoglobulins, which in turn help boost the immune system and protect patients from infections.
• Burn & Trauma patients benefit from proteins present in plasma to help with healing and recovery. These proteins also help maintain blood pressure and volume, and can help stabilize critical care patients.
• Fertility Therapy is a newer use of donated plasma, and focuses on using platelet rich plasma (PRP) to help overcome infertility.

The need for plasma donation centers will continue to grow in the coming years, due to a number of factors, including:

• High Demand due to advancements in medical treatments. The volume of plasma collection doubled between 2014 and 2021 in the United States.
• Donation Frequency is much higher than with whole blood, and donors can contribute twice a week.
• Community Impact is a benefit as plasma donation is an easy way for people to help support those facing medical challenges. Furthermore, plasma donation centers bring jobs to the community, and donors typically receive a payment every time they donate.
• Personal Benefits are offered to donors, who often receive health screenings before they donate, allowing them to track their own health condition.

Although plasma donation centers continue to be constructed across the country, many people really don’t understand the purpose or benefits of plasma donation. As medical treatments and technologies continue to advance, new uses for these donations may continue to be found.

For WDS Construction, serving the medical community in this capacity aligns with our mission of being Built to Build Better, in this case building better and more resilient communities. And if our stakeholders have a new awareness of the life-saving benefits of plasma therapy and are encouraged to donate, all the better.

Check out your local plasma donation center to learn about how you can get involved. If you are looking to learn how WDS Construction can help make your next medical clinic a reality, reach out to me at bbeer@wdsconstruction.net, and let’s discuss your project needs.