Plasma Donation

Is there any way—or even a specific spot in Washington, D.C.—to "donate" blood or plasma for some quick cash? Maybe somewhere near a medical school or something... anyone know?

I wouldn't bet on it, mostly because people would just find a way to exploit the system.

But hey, when you go to donate blood, they hook you up with lunch and a drink. The last two times I went, they even threw in a free t-shirt.

So it’s not exactly "free." You’re showing some good faith, and in return, they 👋

Kevin Jackson said:Is there any way—or any specific spot in Washington, D.C.—to "donate" blood or plasma in exchange for cash? Maybe at a medical school or somewhere similar? Does anyone know?

Blood is strictly for donation, but you can sell plasma. About 10-15 years ago, students used to head over to Rockefeller Boulevard en masse to sell their plasma, going about three times a month for maybe $50-$27)

Plasma donation actually pays. I think you get about $33 per session, and you can go in roughly 3 to 4 times a month...

So, I was talking to a buddy of mine—he’s a dentist—about my plans to go for some voluntary blood donation. He actually told me it wasn't a healthy move. Caught me off guard, honestly. I told him, based on what I know, that giving blood doesn't really hurt your health. He just argued that you lose a significant amount of blood. I was like, 'Well, blood regenerates.' He countered with, 'Sure, but every single time it regenerates, it requires energy.'

Anyway... is he actually onto something here, or is he just talking nonsense? It kind of shook my confidence since, you know, he's a dentist so he probably knows a thing or two about medicine, but he tends to make all sorts of random claims, so I figured I'd see what everyone else thinks. 😎

If you're actually stressing out over questions like this, just skip the blood donation entirely. It’s better than turning around later and blaming the medical establishment for every health issue you run into. Besides, let's be real—you'd only be doing it for the money anyway. Obviously.

I'll take this opportunity to send my regards to all the blood donors out there, no matter where they are. 😍 👋 😘

Casey Campbell said:So, I was chatting with a buddy of mine who’s a dentist about my plan to go out and do some voluntary blood donation, and man, he totally caught me off guard. He actually told me that it isn't even healthy to do it. I was pretty stunned, honestly, because from everything I've ever read or heard, donating blood is perfectly fine for you. He just kept insisting that you lose way too much blood at once, so I told him, "Look, the body just regenerates it." He wasn't having any of it, though—he just countered with, "Sure, but every single time your body regenerates, it burns up a ton of energy."

So, here's the deal... is he actually telling the truth, or is he just talking out of his neck? Honestly, it threw me for a loop because, look, he is a dentist, so he obviously knows his way around the medical world, but since he tends to go off on these wild tangents all the time, I really need to hear what you guys think. 😎

Look, that dentist friend of yours has about as much to do with blood transfusions as I do with beekeeping. Honestly, if he actually had even a shred of common sense left in that head of his, you could tell him he’s being an idiot and he wouldn't even take it personally.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that guy starts peddling some kind of "stationary diet" or ends up acting like a Jehovah's Witness preaching about some random plant or whatever.

Kenneth Hernandez67 said:If these kinds of questions really bother you this much, then maybe you shouldn't be donating blood at all. It’s better than turning around later and blaming the clinic for every little health issue you run into. Besides, let’s be honest—you’d only be doing it for the money. Clearly.

I want to take this opportunity to send my best to all the blood donors out there, wherever you may be 😍 👋 😘

Thanks, truly, and stay well... 😍 👋

I've donated blood several times at the Petrov 3 clinic; sometimes they provide lunch, and other times it's a t-shirt, a dry cleaner voucher, a CD case, or some similar small token of appreciation...

I do it purely out of goodwill because I want to help, not for any money or gifts... From what I understand, donating blood is actually quite good for your health, though women can only donate every four months while men can go every three, specifically to allow for blood regeneration...

They won't let you donate if your levels are too low, if you're iron deficient (which affects clotting), or if you've recently had surgery or are on certain medications... And, naturally, if you have HIV, use drugs, or anything of that nature...

The blood you give is tested, and if they detect any illness, they notify you...

So, I believe they are quite careful about ensuring you're fit to donate without it harming your health, and you essentially get a blood check-up every few months...

Not to mention how incredible it feels knowing that in just ten minutes of your time, you might have saved someone's life... 👋

Casey Palmer5 said:They actually pay you for plasma donation—I think it’s around $33 per session—and you can go in maybe 3 or 4 times a month.

Does anyone know where I can actually go to donate plasma... any leads?

Jesse Ortiz4 said:I managed to snag a t-shirt the last two times I went.

😠 You lucky bastard, mine is completely falling apart at the seams, and now they won't give me a new one for the hell of it... oh well, I guess I'll have another shot in three months. 🙂

Kenneth Hernandez67 said:I just want to take a second to send some love to all the blood donors out there, no matter where they are.😍 👋 😘

👋

And regarding getting paid for it—doesn't one of those flyers mention somewhere that if you want, they can actually reimburse you with cash 🤔 or did I just completely misread that? 😕

You head in right before summer hits, and boom, there it is.

Just got back from my appointment—it was basically just a giant game of Tic-Tac-Toe where every "O" is a pool of blood.😉

I’m actually heading in to donate in about two weeks. Let's see what they're serving up these days.👋

I headed out there at the start of June, and they wouldn't give me 🙂

Kenneth Hernandez67 said:If these kinds of questions bother you, maybe just don't donate blood. It's better than blaming the clinic later for every little health issue you run into. Besides, you're obviously only doing it for the money. Clearly.

That’s not obvious at all. Honestly, that was a pretty messed up and malicious comment. Seems like you're struggling with logic—people on this thread had already pointed out before my post that voluntary blood donation doesn't pay. How do you get from the premise "blood donation isn't paid" and "Casey Campbell is asking about the health implications" to the conclusion "Casey Campbell would only donate for the cash"?

Even if I didn't believe them about the money, why would asking about health risks imply I'm trying to sell my blood? You can't know if I'd actually go through with it, even after getting a positive answer. And even if I backed out, you couldn't assume my intention wasn't altruistic. An altruist might prioritize their own health regardless of any potential payout. I guess.

Anyway, Kenneth Hernandez67, are you even a voluntary blood donor?

Noah Cook5 said:It’s hard to put into words how good it feels, knowing that in maybe ten minutes, you might have actually saved someone's life... 👋

Yeah. Honestly, that was pretty much the only reason I even wanted to go donate blood.👋

Kevin Jackson said:I was wondering where I can go to donate plasma... do you know?

Like I mentioned before, you can do it at the Blood Transfusion Institute on Rockefeller Boulevard.

Casey Campbell said:By the way, Kenneth Hernandez67, are you actually one of those people who does the whole voluntary blood donation thing?

Hey, by the way, Jesse Ortiz4... 😁Look, let's get one thing straight—you can't exactly be an involuntary recipient and a voluntary blood donor at the exact same time... it just doesn't work like that, you know? It’s basic logic, really... 🙂

Casey Campbell said:I was talking to a buddy of mine who’s a dentist about my plans to go donate blood. Out of nowhere, he tells me that doing it isn't actually healthy. I was pretty caught off guard by that one. I told him that, from everything I've read, donating blood doesn't do any harm to your health. He just argued that you lose a significant amount of blood. "Well, blood regenerates," I countered. He just kept going, saying, "Sure, but every single time your body regenerates, it requires energy."

So, here we are... Is he actually telling the truth, or is he just talking nonsense? I’m feeling a bit shaken up by it because, since he's a dentist, he clearly knows his way around medicine. But then again, he's prone to making all sorts of wild claims, so I really need some more perspectives on this. 😎

I work as a lab technician by profession. Honestly, feel free to ask that friend exactly where they got their degree... did they just pick it up at a street fair or something?

You should definitely go ahead and donate blood... provided you’re in good health, of course. 🙂

Casey Campbell said:"Blood regenerates," I told him. "Sure, but every single regeneration takes energy," he keeps pushing.

Low energy? Just fix it with some greasy burek or a plate of cevapi—then go out and donate some blood.

Around here where I live, donating plasma is a pretty big thing... the nurses at the local clinic claim you can actually donate over 50 times a year without it doing any damage to your body! They even go as far as saying it’s actually healthy—like, it somehow helps trigger regeneration or something!
Now, look, speaking purely from a layman's perspective, I just don't get it. Is it really possible that constantly giving up a piece of yourself like that won't have some kind of negative impact?

Can someone who actually knows what they're talking about—someone with some real medical expertise—break this down for me?

Look, I’m certainly no medical expert, but I do have some experience here since I was donating plasma for nearly a year... and I haven't dealt with any lasting "side effects"... aside from maybe some tiny bruises on my veins 🤣
It isn't actually that risky as long as you strictly follow the instructions they give you... I did feel lightheaded once, but honestly, that was just because I stood up way too fast to head home; I nearly collapsed right there on the subway 😁
But seriously, there really isn't anything to worry about, at least based on my own experience...