EVERETT – It’s been more than two years since a fire that engulfed several downtown blocks in smoke consumed the Grifols Biomat USA Plasma Center.
Since that time, the Everett City Council has zoned plasma centers, along with other categories of businesses, from operating in the downtown area. And the burned-out building where the business operated is gone, being transformed into the new four-story home of the Elks Club and a handful of condominiums.
But the blood plasma center quietly reopened in Everett a few weeks ago in a space that formerly housed a Black Angus steakhouse and later a minicasino.
“It was more than two years, but there were a lot of other factors that went into that delay,” said Chris Healey, vice president of government and public affairs for Biomat USA. Its parent company, Grifols, operates more than 70 plasma collection centers in the U.S.
Primary among those factors was the work of opening new collection centers elsewhere. Demand for plasma has kept companies such as Grifols busy.
“Plasma is the starting material for a whole class of medicines,” Healey said.
Based in Spain, Grifols collects plasma in more than 90 countries. The clear, liquid portion of the blood, plasma consists of water, salts, enzymes, antibodies and other proteins. It is the base for a range of medicines and its proteins help to clot blood and fight disease.
Plasma-based drugs are particularly useful to hemophiliacs, burn and trauma victims, and patients with weak immune systems. As many as six different therapies can be produced from a single donation of human plasma, according to Biomat.
With hundreds of for-profit plasma collection centers in the U.S., this country is a major supplier to the world of the critical blood component.
Healey said the new location in Everett required a fair amount of renovation to meet the business’ needs and regulatory requirements. But he said the result is a collection center that’s better than the previous location.
Rick Molano, manager of the Everett location, said some of the 27 employees at the new center have an interesting connection to the business. Because Biomat’s employees include Everett firefighters from stations that responded to the 2005 Biomat fire. Molano added it’s not unusual to have emergency medical technicians or firefighters as employees because of the medical training required to collect plasma.
Molano and Healey stress the medical benefits of donating plasma over the payment received by donors. Biomat also points out donors go through rigorous screenings before they’re allowed to donate plasma.
Healey said Grifols processes collected plasma into its useful components at plants in Los Angeles and Spain.
The new Everett location is capable of expanding, and may eventually employ 45 people, Healey said. Taking into account the center’s payroll and payments to donors, the business could eventually contribute close to $2 million a year to the local economy.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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