Canadian Blood Services has opened the country’s third plasma donation center in the Orchard Park Mall in Kelowna.
Plasma is a protein-rich liquid in the blood that helps other blood components circulate around the body. The proteins found in plasma are key to manufacturing specialty drugs that are in high demand in Canada.
Janna Pantella, Business Development Manager at Canadian Blood Services, says it makes sense to have the center in Kelowna as this is where they get constant support.
“We have a great donor base here who have supported whole blood donations in the past, and we hope these donors will now help us collect plasma, and we will see some new donors too, knowing that Kelowna is as a community so committed and ready to reach out and help, ”said Pantella.
Pantella also noted that due to an isolated incident, some people may need plasma protein products for a short period of time while others may need them for the rest of their lives.
Janine Johns is the manager of the new plasma center and says it is a prime place to be in the mall.
“The parking here is fabulous, the location is nice and central to all types of public transportation, walking, we’re close to all possible places here so it is great for our donors to be in the mall,” said Johns .
Gord Lovegrove, a professor in the School of Engineering at UBC, was the first person in Kelowna to donate plasma in the new facility. He says that donating blood, and now plasma, is about giving back to the community.
“For me it’s about life and about giving life, giving life to others, helping the community and giving something back. We live in an amazing location, in the city of Kelowna, in the Okanagan Valley, BC, we are blessed and in order for me to be able to give back this is something we’ve been doing since we gave back to the community at UBC School of Engineering was launched back in 2005, and we do that as a school because we are passionate about helping the community, ”said Lovegrove.
Lovegrove also went into great detail about how delicious the food at the center was. The plasma donation center works with local bakeries and offered a variety of goodies from Sandrine French Pastry and Chocolate on opening day. If you’d like to make a plasma donation, the new location is in the former Sears location on Orchard Park Mall. If you would like to donate blood, the mobile blood donation clinic in Kelowna is still available.
