Windsor’s Plasma Donor Centre celebrates grand opening

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More than a month after launching its services, community members gathered on Wednesday for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the grand opening of Canadian Blood Services’ newest plasma donation centre in Windsor.

Since opening on Jan. 15, the Plasma Donor Centre located at 3015 Howard Ave. has seen roughly 650 people come through its doors to donate the protein-rich liquid that makes up 55 per cent of blood.

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“People in Windsor were very generous blood donors, who always stepped up to fill open appointments,” said Agnese Caruso, CBS’s communications specialist.

“That is one of the reasons we chose to open a new plasma donor centre there. There is a growing demand for donated plasma, and plasma donation is another powerful way for donors to make all the difference for patients in Canada.”

The Plasma Donor Centre is CBS’s ninth site in Canada since 2020 and follow’s last July’s closure of the organization’s Windsor blood clinic on Grand Marais Road East. Two more locations are planned to follow elsewhere in Canada.

In 2019, the American Food and Drug Agency declared a global shortage of immunoglobulins — the most widely used medications made from plasma — as well as the plasma needed to prepare them.

These medications aid in treating patients with autoimmune and neurological disorders, alongside other medical conditions.

The plasma-specific donation centre focuses on the collection of plasma to meet this demand.

Plasma’s rapid regeneration rate allows people to donate more frequently than with whole-blood donations.

CBS’s website recommends that individuals can donate plasma every seven days.

Mobile blood donation events will continue to be held in Windsor-Essex for O-negative and rare-blood donors.

Visit the Canada Blood Services website to learn more and to book an appointment at Windsor’s Plasma Donor Centre.

mmazak@postmedia.com

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