Salt Lake City plasma donation centers celebrate millionth donation milestones

Video above courtesy of Grifols

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Two Grifols plasma donation centers in Salt Lake City celebrated a milestone of one million plasma donations each during International Plasma Awareness Week.

There are two Grifols Biomat USA centers in Salt Lake City that opened 17 years ago, and on Wednesday, October 8, the centers celebrated the milestone of reaching a million donations of plasma each, for a total of two million donations. Both centers reached the milestones this fall.

International Plasma Awareness Week (IPAW) is this week, from October 6 to 10. It is celebrated each year during October, and it aims to raise awareness of how important donating plasma is to saving the lives of patients who rely on plasma-derived medicines.

The Salt Lake City centers have collected plasma donations since opening, and those donations have been used to manufacture medicines used to treat chronic, rare, and prevalent health conditions that can be life-threatening. Plasma can only come from humans, and it cannot be created in a lab.

Bryce Mildon, a longtime donor at one of the Salt Lake City centers, said, “I’m proud to be one of the plasma donors that helped achieve this milestone, and to know that I am making a difference for people who need plasma medicines.”

What is plasma and how is it used?

According to IPAW, plasma makes up the majority of human blood, as your blood is 55% plasma, 44% red blood cells, and 1% white blood cells and platelets. Plasma is critical for your body to be able to fight diseases, which is why it is used in medicines that treat chronic disorders and other illnesses.

Plasma-derived medicines are used to treat people with rare, chronic conditions like bleeding disorders, immunodeficiencies, liver disease, autoimmune diseases, and more. In addition to fighting diseases, plasma contains clotting factors, so it can be used to stop bleeding from injuries.

Plasms is collected from a healthy donor through a process called plasmapheresis. The blood is separated in a centrifuge, and red blood cells and other components are re-injected into a donor. The plasma is taken to be used in manufacturing medicines and therapies.

You can learn more about donating plasma here. The two Grifols Biomat USA centers in Salt Lake City are located on 630 W North Temple and 38 E 800 South.