Greenfield plasma center opens; resource could aid COVID-19 patients
GREENFIELD, Wis. - BioLife Plasma Services on Saturday, Oct. 31 opened its first Milwaukee County location -- the 13th in Wisconsin.
The grand opening of the Greenfield plasma center provides an important resource during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We invested about $3-6 million just from the complex alone, and then we’ll have a staff of approximately 40 individuals that we’ll hire locally and then expand that even more," said Brady Johansen with BioLife Plasma Services.
The Greenfield donation center collects standard plasma that is processed into a variety of therapeutics for patients with life-threatening diseases. The need for plasma is greater than ever as it can help patients prone to COVID-19.
"We return those concentrated blood cells to a donor and that's why you can donate twice in a seven-day period as long as you have a day in between," Johansen said.
Blood and plasma donations were down during the pandemic -- but there are safety precautions in place for donors.
BioLife Plasma Services clinic
"The scheduling app and scheduling online so that way we can control the people going in and out of the center," said Johansen.
Staff and donors also undergo a temperature check.
While the Greenfield center just opened on Saturday, employees hope to collect convalescent plasma in the future. That's plasma from someone who recovered from COVID-19 to help other COVID-19 patients.
"I’m really excited just to create opportunities for both employment and to get that funding within the local area to just help grow the great community that’s really welcomed us," Johansen said.
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Several people have already made appointments to donate plasma.
If you want to make an appointment, CLICK HERE.
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BioLife Plasma Center opens in Greenfield
BioLife Plasma Center's grand opening Saturday in Greenfield.