A plasma donation center that compensates volunteer donors for their time is planning to open a donation center in Harwood Heights.
The company, BioLife Plasma Services, hopes to lease one of three spaces at 4747 N. Harlem Ave., when current occupant OfficeMax closes.
Donna Pugh, attorney for BioLife, asked Harwood Village Board members Monday if they would object to the plasma service company joining the community. No one on the board spoke up with any objections and the board does not have to have a vote on whether BioLife can open in town.
The company plans a facility with 36 beds where donors schedule appointments to donate their plasma, the liquid part of the blood that remains when platelets and red and white blood cells are removed.
Donations are made with a single needle puncture that hooks donors up to a machine that takes the donors blood, up to 200 ml per visit, and separates the plasma. Red blood cells are cycled back into the donor via the machine, while plasma is taken, said Cindy Wixo, who manages BioLife in Bolingbrook, the closest donation center.
The plasma is then stored in a secure freezer before being picked up or shipped to a lab where it is used to make different medications.
“The products they create from this plasma do change lives and save lives,” said Jeff Tarris, a vice president with JCW Development, who spoke on behalf of BioLife at the meeting.
Mayor Arlene Jezierny asked if potential donors will be checked for autoimmune diseases or diabetes before donating.
Wixo said each donor must undergo a non-invasive physical exam that they must pass, as well as electronic health screenings to have their vitals checked.
“We need to make sure it’s healthy for the donor to donate and that it’s healthy plasma for the patient on the other end, that’s what our nurses are the gatekeepers for,” Wixo said.
Donors will be compensated with a prepaid gift card, on average about $20 for one appointment. If they come back for a second donation in one week, they will be paid $50 for their second visit, Wixo said.
There is a maximum of two donations per week and each visit takes about one hour, Wixo said.
“We pay for their time and commitment to the program, not their plasma,” said Wixo.
Since donors are paid with prepaid gift cards, there are no cash exchanges made at the facility, Tarris said.
A typical BioLife facility pays about $3 million per year to donors and on average, about $2.4 million of that will be spent in the community where the donation center is, bringing an economic boost, Tarris said. The company also plans to invest $3 million to $4 million to remodel the space, using local contractors and suppliers, he said.
Harwood Heights Village Board member Zbigniew Lewandowski asked if the company would be willing to prioritize employees from the village. Wixo responded that they love to hire locally.
BioLife plans to hire 25 to 40 full-time employees and 25 to 40 part-time employees. All employees, no matter how many hours they work per week, receive paid time off, medical benefits and tuition reimbursement, Tarris said.
The only requirement for employment is a high school diploma, Wixo said, and all job training is done in house.
Tarris said completion of the center will take about six months from the time they receive a building permit to the time donors are coming in. BioLife does not yet have a definite timeline for when they plan to open their doors, but plans to welcome donors in 2020.