ImmunoTek Plasma opened is 70th location late last month on Wilmington’s east side.
The new center is the company’s first location in Delaware. ImmunoTek operates centers in 13 other states.
ImmunoTek compensates plasma donors. Rates are not listed on the company’s website. Nationwide, rates can range from $50 to $75 per visit. Payment is made via debit card.
Those eligible are between the ages of 18 and 65 and weight at least 110 pounds. Donations can be made as often as twice weekly, since after plasma is extracted, blood goes back into the body during the donation.
Plasma donated at ImmunoTek Plasma and other organizations helps meet the worldwide demand for blood-plasma, which is used to create medicines and therapies for people suffering a variety of diseases including immune disorders, rare diseases, burn victims and cancer treatment.
The company has accepted more than six million donations from blood-plasma donors since its launch in 2013.
“Our donors are making a difference in the lives of people facing life-altering medical conditions. For many of those patients, receiving donated plasma can mean the difference between life and death,” stated Jerome Parnell III, CEO of ImmunoTek. “Research underway is currently showing promise in additional uses of plasma therapies in reducing or limiting the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.”
The U.S. provides two-thirds of the plasma used worldwide and is one of the few countries that allow healthcare companies to financially compensate donors.
To be eligible to donate plasma, a medical screening is conducted by in-house medical professionals, along with a medical history and physical exam. Donating plasma is much like a blood donation.
The motivation to donate varies, according to Lisa Sponheimer, director of the Wilmington ImmunoTek Plasma location. “Every donor has a different reason for coming into our center. Some donate as a way to add to their family finances, others donate because they know someone who has benefited from plasma-based medicines, and others donate because they know they can help someone else,” she said.
The Wilmington site is located in a neighborhood with a high proverty levels and will draw people who need to supplement their incomes.
“The new center in Wilmington is expected to have an economic impact of around $5 million annually,” stated Blair McKinney, chief operations officer of ImmunoTek. “The community initially sees benefits from construction of the center, then from compensation paid to donors and the creation of healthcare-oriented jobs. It also generates a need for services from local small businesses; plus, our donors know they are helping save lives.”
A professor at the University of Michigan who studies issues related to health care among those with low incomes, wrote in 2018 that donation sites have become multi-billion dollar enterprises that may be capable of turning over a larger chunk of their revenues to donors.
Louisiana-based ImmunoTek has estimated revenues of $65 million a year.
A much larger company, CSL Plasma, operates a center on Marrows Road outside Newark and near lower income neighborhoods. CSL advertises a bonus for new donors that can be as much as $1,000 for the first donation month.
The nonprofit Blood Bank of Delmarva takes plasma donations, but does not provide compensation.
ImmunoTek Plasma’s location is at 3006 Governor Printz Boulevard and will operate Tuesday through Saturday. Walk-in donors are accepted. Further information is available at 302-295-9080 or via www.ImmunoTek.com
