Introduction
All superheroes don’t wear capes. You are a hero if you donate plasma and blood too. Yes, many people in the world, especially young children, suffer from blood cancers, and plasma and other transfusions help them in their living.This article having all he information about Plasma donation at NYC, who can give donation and eligibility are given in this article.
NYC plasma donation
Plasma donation can save many lives. Not only blood cancer, but plasma also helps those who are affected by trauma and burns. The New York Blood center in America is saving many lives by collecting plasma and distributing it.
Let us discuss in detail the plasma donation process at the New York Blood Center (NBC).
Plasma donation
Plasma is one of the vital and also the largest components of our body. It has many important functions in our body, such as maintaining our blood pressure and carrying proteins and minerals to the body parts. Plasma also has antibodies that fight the infection in our body.
Plasma helps in treating many disorders such as hemophilia, accidents, burns, and other rare genetic diseases. The process of plasma donation is the same as blood donation. There are two types of plasma donation. Source plasma and recovered plasma. Sourced plasma is the direct donation of the plasma itself. Whereas recovered plasma is the plasma recovered from donated blood.
NYC – New York Blood Center
New York Blood Center is a non-profit setting started in 1964. It collects blood from people who are volunteering and distributes it to those in need in the United States. It is one of the largest, community-based centers in America serving in the field for about 50 years. Each day, they collect about 4000 units of blood products and distribute them to the 50 million patients in need in the regions of the US. Apart from blood collecting and distributing services, NYC also delivers pharmaceuticals and clinical and testing services. Delivering quality blood is one of their missions. They are creating awareness of blood donation by releasing videos and posts related to awareness.
Eligibility to Donate Plasma
However, there are two important criteria that you should meet to donate plasma. These are:
- Age – NYBC accepts blood donated by those who are above 17 years of age. Even, if you are 16 years old, you can donate plasma or blood if you have the written consent of your parents. If you are older than 76, you should get a letter from your physician mentioning that you meet all the eligibility criteria to donate blood. In case you don’t have a letter from your physician, you have to get clearance from the NYBC medical director every time you donate.
- Weight – Your weight should be 110 pounds or above to donate plasma.
Who should not donate plasma?
- Sexually transmitted disease – If a person is affected with sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, then the person should not donate blood.
- Hemophilia
- Viral Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C
- Cancer
Factors that affect Plasma donation temporarily
- On antibiotic treatment- If you are on any antibiotic treatment, you should donate blood only after the completion of your treatment.
- When taking certain medications, there are some restrictions on the time to donate blood. For a full list of medications, check out the official website of the New York Blood Center (NBC).
- Tattoos – If you had tattoos in the past three months, then you cannot donate blood. However, if you had a tattoo from the licensed tattoo parlor you are allowed to donate. To know the exclusion, check on New York Blood Center’s official website.
- Pregnancy – In the case of pregnancy and abortion, you can donate plasma only after 6 months.
- Drug usage – If you have injected any drugs, you can’t donate plasma for 3 months.
The process at NYC for blood donation
There are 4 steps you are expected to follow for donating blood or plasma at NYC.
- Registration – You first have to fill out the donor registration form and show your ID card or NYBC donor card.
- Health history – Then you will be checked for basic vital signs such as pulse and blood pressure. Along with that hematocrit level will also be checked.
- Donation – When you are found to be eligible, you will be allowed to donate blood. The blood donation process will last about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Refreshment – After donation, you will be given refreshment. You should relax for 10 to 15 minutes. You should avoid strenuous activity for at least 4 to 5 hours.
Things to do in blood or plasma donation at NYC
- Drink lots of water before donation to stay hydrated.
- Don’t skip your breakfast.
- Have a good sleep at night before the day of plasma donation.
- Drink juice or take an iron supplement after the donation.
Conclusion
One pint of blood you donate can save up to 3 lives. As mentioned earlier, plasma is needed for many people in their treatment.
FAQs
1.Will I be paid for donating plasma in NYC?
Yes, NYC pays about 25 to 30 dollars for donating your blood or plasma.
2.What other components of blood can I donate?
Plasma, platelets, red blood cells, and bone marrow can be donated.
3.Will donating blood hurt?
No, blood donation will not hurt. You will feel a little prick when inserting the needle. Otherwise, blood donation is painless.
