Plasma donors eligible to win $1,000

Arkansas Blood Institute looks for an edge as supply falls short of demand

The Arkansas Blood Institute has launched a campaign to recruit convalescent plasma donors that includes money prizes in an effort to compete with for-profit plasma centers, officials said.

Starting on Monday, donors will be entered for a chance to win one of the two $1,000 prizes given away to people on that day’s roster of donors, according to an institute news release.

The institute said the need for convalescent plasma has increased more than 700% in recent weeks, with demand now surpassing collections. The institute said it is seeing a decline in eligible donors, in part due to the competition from commercial centers that offer direct cash payments to each donor.

“In their battle against COVID-19, patients and those caring for them need the comfort of knowing that the necessary treatment will be available for them when they need it,” said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of the institute. “If this daily drawing can help be the extra push donors need to schedule their donation, the investment will more than pay off. No one can put a price on saving the life of a neighbor.”

A single plasma donation can provide plasma to as many as four covid-19 patients, in a process that takes about an hour and a half. To donate convalescent plasma, donors must have had a positive covid-19 test result, be symptom-free for 14 days and be at least seven days past their last blood or plasma donation.

In 2018, the American Red Cross transferred its donors and blood-drive sponsors to the Arkansas Blood Institute.

The institute is the exclusive supplier for 40 hospitals in Arkansas and is an offshoot of the Oklahoma Blood Institute, the ninth-largest nonprofit blood center in the nation.