There’s gold in them veins.But put down your pick-axes, all you ambitious forty-niners. It might not be the finger-
sacrificing mine-trap kind of gold that you think.Twenty-six – that’s the number of years that the building in which Plasma Biological Services, Inc. is currently
housed has been a haven
for plasma-donation in Johnson City. Plasma, which is responsible for about 55 percent
of your blood’s volume, is removed through a process called plasmapheresis.Why should ETSU students care? That’s easy.Because there’s gold in them veins. 25 – That’s the number of one dollar bills you’ll receive on your first donation. Currently, PBSI is offering a system of bonuses which rewards
students for donating. New donors, on their first and second donations, receive five extra dollars each, which increases their profit to a respectable
$50 for two trips. Repeat donors receive $20 dollars for each donation, plus a $5 bonus for their fourth and sixth donation in a calendar month.Students who refer other first-time donors will also receive
an extra $5 on their next trip. Altogether, first-time donors should receive $180 dollars in their first month, as a person can donate plasma twice a week. Therefore, students can expect similar profits if they continue as an active donor.Jacosha Alexander, a supervisor
at PBSI, sums up her reason for donating pretty simply.”Money,” Alexander said. “You can earn money! Who doesn’t need twenty dollars?” There is no reason to be concerned
about health risks either.
Gary Orvis, center manager
for five years, makes sure that all the procedures in PBSI are in compliance with regulations
set forth by the FDA, Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, and the Clinical
Laboratory Improvement Act.”It’s very safe,” said Orvis. “All supplies we use here, we use only once. We monitor everything.”
18 and 110 – That’s how old you need to be and how much you must weigh. Donors are also required to pass a physical, which is provided
at PBSI. With the physical,
a new donor’s stay at PSBI will take approximately 2-1/2 hours. After that, donors can expect their time to diminish to anywhere from 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours.60 – That’s how many college
students Orvis sees in a week. This number makes up about 20 percent of the plasma
donated at PBSI. Orvis wants students to realize
that plasma donation is an excellent way raise funds for charities, fraternities and sororities,
drives and individual aid. Jared Williams, who is currently
enrolled at ETSU, agrees.”I sponsor a child in Tanzania
through Compassion International, and I make the money to sponsor him by donating
plasma,” said Williams. “I honestly just do it to make easy, quick money but I think that’s a pretty good reason.” Endless – that’s how many opportunities there are for student
to help people with their donations. At this time, there are numerous
medicines that are created from plasma. These include Albumin, a medicine
which replaces fluid and protein in burn and shock victims; immune globulins, which treats specific diseases such as smallpox, rabies and rubella, and is also used to support
immune systems after procedures such bone marrow transplants for children with AIDS; coagulation concentrate
factors, which is used to treat blood clotting disorders; and enzyme products, which are used to treat emphysema.”Extra money is always nice,” said David, a plasma donor along with his wife for two years. “But they also make burn medicines from plasma. It helps us and it helps others
too. And people here are friendly – almost like family.”Aimee Cole, PBSI medical receptionist
and an ETSU alumni,
also enjoys the human factor involved in plasma donating.
“I work here to make a difference,”
Cole said. “Plus, you get to work with all sorts of different people. It’s just been a great experience.”Forty-niners and college students have a few things in common – they’re always looking for gold in them veins, whether they be veins of precious metal deep in forlorn
mines or plasma circulating
throughout their entire bodies.But college students have an opportunity to find another kind of gold – the kind of gold that saves lives, reunites families, and improves the quality of existence for the human race. That’s why Orvis, who’s had many chances to be promoted to higher positions in PBSI, stays exactly where he is.”I’ve looked at moving up the ladder,” said Orvis, “but we meet new people every day. We meet people from different
walks of life – from professionals
to laborers to college students. “I really respect people who want to help others.

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