Selling Blood for Gas - MT. MORRIS TWP., Michigan -- A Flint disc jockey is taking the notion of pain at the pump to a new level.
Twice a week, Kevin Moore heads over to a non-descript strip mall where he trades his blood plasma for cash.
"Gas is like $97 a gallon," said Moore, 29. "This kind of offsets it."
And Moore is not alone.
"The (plasma) industry as a whole sees an increase in donations as the economy takes a downturn," said Annie Clifford, a spokeswoman Talecris, which is located at Jennings and Pierson roads.
On Monday afternoon, about 20 people sat in the waiting room for their turn to be escorted to the collection area.
Just beyond the lobby, another 25 people sit in green futuristic-looking molded chairs watching overhead televisions as needles sucked blood from their veins and pumped it into nearby machines.
Plasma -- the liquid portion of blood -- is about 92 percent water but has about 500 different types of proteins that can be used to make prescription drugs.
By the end of the 45-minute collection process, about 2 pounds of plasma has been pulled from the blood and the leftover red cells, white cells and platelets are pumped back into the person's body.
It's a good deal for Moore, who gets $20 for his first session each week and $40 for the second.
"I get entertained and I get paid," said Moore, explaining that he enjoys listening the conversations around him as his blood spins around in a centrifuge.
Andre Campbell, the manager of the Talecris site in Mt. Morris Township said the collection center is open seven days a week and sees upwards of 100 people a day.
First-time clients get $40 and another $60 if they return. The payment drops to $20 and $40 for long-term clients who give the maximum two times during a 7-day period.
"But we also have bonuses, as well as giveaways like hats, T-shirts and water bottles," said Campbell.
Contrary to stereotypes that plasma centers are quick cash for the destitute and college kids, the faces and manner of dress at the Mt. Morris Township facility on Monday suggested a cross-section of society.
Among the requirements, the company only accepts people who pass a medical screening.
"We take new donors every day," he said. "We have some working-class people who come in after work."
There's no way to know exactly what motivates people to sell plasma, said Campbell.
But Campbell believes many of them do it because they want to help people.
The plasma collected at the site is sent to the company's North Carolina headquarters where it used to produce disease therapies.
"The donors are compensated for their time and they are saving lives," said Campbell.
The opposite, however, seems to hold true for the American Red Cross which also collects plasma but does not pay donors.
American Red Cross spokeswoman Ann Kammerer doesn't blame plasma centers for declines in blood collection, but said it is tough to compete for people's time when money is short.
"People working two or three part-time jobs are strapped for time," said Kammerer.
The organization has seen a drop-off in blood collections in the Flint area has continued downsizing at GM and other businesses has resulted in fewer blood drives. But Kammerer said donors should know that getting paid isn't the only difference in choosing between a plasma center and a blood drive.
Unlike plasma centers, Kammerer said blood collected by the American Red Cross is used for patients in hospitals.
"Red Cross donors give for altruistic reasons," said Kammerer.
ECO MPH - Mt. Morris Township plasma center, Talecris, busy with customers seeking cash for blood
by Bryn Mickle | The Flint Journal
