Selected Podcast
How Plasma Donations Can Help Local COVID Patients
Josie Pippert explains how plasma donations can help local COVID patient.
Featured Speaker:
Most of Josie’s blood center experience has been involved with collection, processing, distribution of the blood products and being engaged with all the regulatory changes. During her time in Fort Gordon they accomplished being the largest Army blood collection site worldwide.
Josie is also a volunteer assessor with American Association of Blood Banking (AABB) since 2002 and has performed many assessments of other blood centers in the United States. Her main goal has always been to make sure the blood products we produce are safe for the donor and for the recipient. Josie finds it rewarding to work in an industry where regulations and standards make a lifesaving difference for the patients they serve.
Josie lives in Bakersfield, CA with her husband, is a mother of 5 adult children, with 2 still at home, she enjoy riding her bike, wine tasting and flying with her husband.
Josie Pippert, VP
Josie Pippert has enjoyed a 19 year career in the blood banking industry. Having dedicated the last 8 years working for Houchin Community Blood Bank as the Director of Donor Services and currently serving as the Vice Predsident of Quality, Regulatory Compliance and Safety. Prior to her employment with Houchin, she spent 11 years with the Department of Defense working as a Technical Supervisor at an Army Blood Center in Fort Gordon, GA.Most of Josie’s blood center experience has been involved with collection, processing, distribution of the blood products and being engaged with all the regulatory changes. During her time in Fort Gordon they accomplished being the largest Army blood collection site worldwide.
Josie is also a volunteer assessor with American Association of Blood Banking (AABB) since 2002 and has performed many assessments of other blood centers in the United States. Her main goal has always been to make sure the blood products we produce are safe for the donor and for the recipient. Josie finds it rewarding to work in an industry where regulations and standards make a lifesaving difference for the patients they serve.
Josie lives in Bakersfield, CA with her husband, is a mother of 5 adult children, with 2 still at home, she enjoy riding her bike, wine tasting and flying with her husband.
Transcription:
How Plasma Donations Can Help Local COVID Patients
This is Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health Podcast. Here's Bill Klaproth.
Bill Klaproth: If you have fully recovered from COVID-19 and are no longer contagious, donation of your plasma could support the development of a potential treatment for individuals suffering from COVID-19. Here to help us understand more about how plasma donation can help local COVID patients is Josie Pippert, vice president of quality, regulatory compliance, and safety with Houchin Community Blood Bank. Josie thank you so much for your time. So what is the background on the Houchin Community Blood Bank?
Josie Pippert: So Houchin Community Blood Bank we are the only independent blood center located in Bakersfield, California and we have served the Kern County communities for nearly 70 years, and we have been operating as essential health care facilities since 1951. And we have two fixed site donor centers, and we have a robust mobile operation. And so Houchin is affiliated with West coast blood services and this is kind of the parent umbrella organization, which also serves, we just recently went into Santa Clarita, Valencia area, and we are serving some of our Los Angeles County hospitals with blood products.
Host: So how has the blood bank been coping during this time?
Josie: Well, Houchin had a surge of collections, in March during COVID-19. So we experienced a really high collection month, mainly due because people were home from work or they could work from home, however, after that, our collections kind of dropped off dramatically, in April and May we had a lot of cancellations from our mobile sites. So we've kind of had to adjust a little bit during this time period. So we still had sent out mobiles or just kind of not letting a full busload of people on like we were used to like our six-bed bus is really only used three beds out of it just to keep everybody safe. Social distancing.
Host: Right, while thankfully you're still there and you're getting these much-needed blood donations. So let's talk COVID convalescent plasma. What is that?
Josie: Okay. So people who have recovered from COVID-19, have antibodies circulating in their blood. And these antibodies are proteins that our body uses to fight off infections. And like I said, they're floating around in the plasma. So when we get a donation, we spin it down. We spin it in a big centrifuge and the plasma is separated from the red cells. So this is the plasma that we call convalescent plasma, and in this case, COVID convalescent plasma and the convalescent plasma treatment has been around for a hundred years.
Host: Okay. So then why is this so important when it comes to COVID-19?
Josie: Our local hospitals, they indicate that critically ill COVID-19 patients who have received this convalescent plasma have dramatically improved from this treatment or from this transfusion. I will quote what the Mayo clinic website says the convalescent plasma therapy may be helpful for people with COVID-19, who aren't helped by other treatments. Some people with COVID-19 become very sick and they don't respond to other treatments or drugs, these people often develop acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe lung condition and they often require mechanical assistance such as a ventilator to breathe. So these people are also in danger of developing organ failure. It can also help other people may have a higher risk of serious illness, such as people with chronic medical conditions, for example, heart disease or diabetes, or those who have weakened immune systems, the COVID convalescent plasma could help these people from getting sicker if they get, you know, expose the COVID-19. The convalescent plasma might also be considered for family members or healthcare workers who have been here exposed to someone with COVID-19 to potentially prevent them from getting COVID-19. There is a program out there through the Mayo clinic that doctors can enroll patients who have reached a level and their disease or where their treatment doesn't work anymore and they can administer the COVID-19 plasma to the patient.
Host: So how does convalescent plasma therapy work once it's inside the body?
Josie: Researchers and doctors hope that the convalescent plasma can be given to people with severe COVID-19 to boost their ability to fight the virus. It may also help people who are moderately ill from becoming more ill and experiencing the COVID-19 complications. So that boost of antibodies that's circulating in the plasma, the intent is that those antibodies will help fight off the disease because maybe their body didn't make enough antibodies to fight off, so it's kind of like getting a booster shot of antibodies to fight off. You know, like hepatitis B. We get a vaccine shot and it's a boost of antibodies so they're floating around to help us prevent us from getting it.
Host: So then what are the requirements, who can donate?
Josie: Yes, we are looking for people who have recovered from COVID-19, so they know that they had it, they have a positive test result because that is one thing we ask for is the paperwork to show us that you've had a positive test. The FDA has lined out all the criteria for us so that we follow it. So it's, it's a positive test that we're looking for, that they have had it, or that they currently have antibodies to it. And then they also have to meet our regular blood criteria eligibility.
Host: So how is the needed plasma collected that you will use in COVID-19 patients?
Josie: So we use an automated technology, Terema for short is what we call it. This is what the machine is called. So whole blood is drawn from one arm using a single needle, and we use a sterile kit that's attached to the machine and the machine collects the blood in cycles, and then it spins the blood to separate the plasma. The plasma is collected into bags and the donor receives their red cells back during this whole collection process. The average time for this type of collection is 30 to 45 minutes. We have comfortable lounge chairs equipped with a Firestick for easy streaming of their favorite show or movie, or they can surf the net. So we take special care of our, we call them CCP donors to make sure they feel comfortable and safe.
Host: And then once you collect it, what happens then what's the process? How does it go to the hospital and ultimately the patient?
Josie: We take this plasma and we freeze it, just like any other plasma that would be used for transfusion. And after all the testings back and we clear or we release those products saying there they could be labeled and they could be shipped out. The hospital gets the plasma and they have their process where they saw the plasma and it's just administered just like any other plasma transfusion.
Host: So then Josie, what is the current need for blood and platelets?
Josie: Well, we always have a need for blood and platelets. We have patients who still suffer from cancer. We have trauma patients and then we have those patients with chronic disease and surgery. So many that that need never stops. We currently are in need of more convalescent plasma, the COVID convalescent plasma. It's been difficult to meet the needs of our local hospitals. It seems like as soon as we have plasma and it's released it's out the door to the local hospitals, so we are trying to do everything we can to identify those people. It's tough with the HIPAA laws, so we're counting on the hospitals, you know, to partner with us and find those recovered COVID patients.
Host: Right. And so why is there such a current need?
Josie: I've seen our hospitals increase their load of patients and all of our local hospitals have increased in patients. So That's our local need, and we don't even have enough to ship out across the state to help other States with this need too.
Host: So for people who just want to donate blood, and for those who have recovered from COVID-19, are there any restrictions? Are there any requirements who exactly can donate?
Josie: Those recovered patients, they can contact us at Houchin. They can visit our website. There is a list of questions that we would need to ask them. Anyone and then going back to red cells and platelets, anybody can donate, there is a minimum age of 16, with the parental consent. We don't have an upper limit. e would just need donors to bring in a valid picture ID at the time that they donate, they must feel well and healthy and if they were on any antibiotics for at least three days, we have criteria for medications, medical conditions. We'll take their blood pressure, their pulse, their weight, their hemoglobin, and we have acceptance criteria for each one of those. Our website is www.hcbb.com. We have a lot of good information on the website. We have a frequently asked questions for eligibility that they could visit also.
Host: Okay. And then for someone that wants to donate, of course, like many people, they may be thinking, how safe is this? So what precaution has Houchin taken to ensure safety for employees and those donating?
Josie: Sure. Houchin has implemented, staff to wear a mask. So all those that take care of donors that come in, they have to wear a mask. We do, we do recommend a mask. We're not required to ask the donors to wear a mask, but we do recommend it. We also, the staff also have to take their temperature every day before they start their shifts. So we do have a policy in place that if they have any symptoms or they're not feeling well that they can go home. We are also social distancing in our lobbies. Our chairs our donor beds are at least six feet apart. Our buses are half capacity. Three donors on a six-bed bus. And our mobile drives. A lot of times, if we are backed up, we'll say, just remain in your vehicles and we'll send a text when you're ready to come on board on the bus so that we're not outside. So we're keeping the social distancing going on our mobiles also.
Host: Well, that's good to know. And anything else Josee you would like the public to know?
Josie: Yes, we have a COVID-19 hotline. Houchin has that. So if you are listening to this, then you are a recovered COVID-19 patient, please give us a call. Our area code is (661) 616-2575. And the lady said, answer the phone we'll have questions for you, and they will be able to set up an appointment so you can donate your plasma. If there's an organization out there, who's interested in booking a mobile, they can call our community development department, our phone number for that is area code (661) 616-2527. If you're interested in donating blood or platelets because platelets only have a five-day shelf life. So we are always in need of platelets that phone number is area code (661)-616-2518.
Host: Well, Josie, this has really been informative. There is a need for this. And if you're listening to this and you can donate blood, if you have recovered from COVID-19, please call one of those numbers and go see Josie at the Houchin Community Blood Bank. Josie, thank you so much for your time. This has really been informative. Thanks again,
Josie: Thank You
Host: That's Josie Pippert. And for more information, please visit Dignityhealth.org/bakersfield and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. This is Hello Healthy a Dignity Health Podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth thanks for listening.
How Plasma Donations Can Help Local COVID Patients
This is Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health Podcast. Here's Bill Klaproth.
Bill Klaproth: If you have fully recovered from COVID-19 and are no longer contagious, donation of your plasma could support the development of a potential treatment for individuals suffering from COVID-19. Here to help us understand more about how plasma donation can help local COVID patients is Josie Pippert, vice president of quality, regulatory compliance, and safety with Houchin Community Blood Bank. Josie thank you so much for your time. So what is the background on the Houchin Community Blood Bank?
Josie Pippert: So Houchin Community Blood Bank we are the only independent blood center located in Bakersfield, California and we have served the Kern County communities for nearly 70 years, and we have been operating as essential health care facilities since 1951. And we have two fixed site donor centers, and we have a robust mobile operation. And so Houchin is affiliated with West coast blood services and this is kind of the parent umbrella organization, which also serves, we just recently went into Santa Clarita, Valencia area, and we are serving some of our Los Angeles County hospitals with blood products.
Host: So how has the blood bank been coping during this time?
Josie: Well, Houchin had a surge of collections, in March during COVID-19. So we experienced a really high collection month, mainly due because people were home from work or they could work from home, however, after that, our collections kind of dropped off dramatically, in April and May we had a lot of cancellations from our mobile sites. So we've kind of had to adjust a little bit during this time period. So we still had sent out mobiles or just kind of not letting a full busload of people on like we were used to like our six-bed bus is really only used three beds out of it just to keep everybody safe. Social distancing.
Host: Right, while thankfully you're still there and you're getting these much-needed blood donations. So let's talk COVID convalescent plasma. What is that?
Josie: Okay. So people who have recovered from COVID-19, have antibodies circulating in their blood. And these antibodies are proteins that our body uses to fight off infections. And like I said, they're floating around in the plasma. So when we get a donation, we spin it down. We spin it in a big centrifuge and the plasma is separated from the red cells. So this is the plasma that we call convalescent plasma, and in this case, COVID convalescent plasma and the convalescent plasma treatment has been around for a hundred years.
Host: Okay. So then why is this so important when it comes to COVID-19?
Josie: Our local hospitals, they indicate that critically ill COVID-19 patients who have received this convalescent plasma have dramatically improved from this treatment or from this transfusion. I will quote what the Mayo clinic website says the convalescent plasma therapy may be helpful for people with COVID-19, who aren't helped by other treatments. Some people with COVID-19 become very sick and they don't respond to other treatments or drugs, these people often develop acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe lung condition and they often require mechanical assistance such as a ventilator to breathe. So these people are also in danger of developing organ failure. It can also help other people may have a higher risk of serious illness, such as people with chronic medical conditions, for example, heart disease or diabetes, or those who have weakened immune systems, the COVID convalescent plasma could help these people from getting sicker if they get, you know, expose the COVID-19. The convalescent plasma might also be considered for family members or healthcare workers who have been here exposed to someone with COVID-19 to potentially prevent them from getting COVID-19. There is a program out there through the Mayo clinic that doctors can enroll patients who have reached a level and their disease or where their treatment doesn't work anymore and they can administer the COVID-19 plasma to the patient.
Host: So how does convalescent plasma therapy work once it's inside the body?
Josie: Researchers and doctors hope that the convalescent plasma can be given to people with severe COVID-19 to boost their ability to fight the virus. It may also help people who are moderately ill from becoming more ill and experiencing the COVID-19 complications. So that boost of antibodies that's circulating in the plasma, the intent is that those antibodies will help fight off the disease because maybe their body didn't make enough antibodies to fight off, so it's kind of like getting a booster shot of antibodies to fight off. You know, like hepatitis B. We get a vaccine shot and it's a boost of antibodies so they're floating around to help us prevent us from getting it.
Host: So then what are the requirements, who can donate?
Josie: Yes, we are looking for people who have recovered from COVID-19, so they know that they had it, they have a positive test result because that is one thing we ask for is the paperwork to show us that you've had a positive test. The FDA has lined out all the criteria for us so that we follow it. So it's, it's a positive test that we're looking for, that they have had it, or that they currently have antibodies to it. And then they also have to meet our regular blood criteria eligibility.
Host: So how is the needed plasma collected that you will use in COVID-19 patients?
Josie: So we use an automated technology, Terema for short is what we call it. This is what the machine is called. So whole blood is drawn from one arm using a single needle, and we use a sterile kit that's attached to the machine and the machine collects the blood in cycles, and then it spins the blood to separate the plasma. The plasma is collected into bags and the donor receives their red cells back during this whole collection process. The average time for this type of collection is 30 to 45 minutes. We have comfortable lounge chairs equipped with a Firestick for easy streaming of their favorite show or movie, or they can surf the net. So we take special care of our, we call them CCP donors to make sure they feel comfortable and safe.
Host: And then once you collect it, what happens then what's the process? How does it go to the hospital and ultimately the patient?
Josie: We take this plasma and we freeze it, just like any other plasma that would be used for transfusion. And after all the testings back and we clear or we release those products saying there they could be labeled and they could be shipped out. The hospital gets the plasma and they have their process where they saw the plasma and it's just administered just like any other plasma transfusion.
Host: So then Josie, what is the current need for blood and platelets?
Josie: Well, we always have a need for blood and platelets. We have patients who still suffer from cancer. We have trauma patients and then we have those patients with chronic disease and surgery. So many that that need never stops. We currently are in need of more convalescent plasma, the COVID convalescent plasma. It's been difficult to meet the needs of our local hospitals. It seems like as soon as we have plasma and it's released it's out the door to the local hospitals, so we are trying to do everything we can to identify those people. It's tough with the HIPAA laws, so we're counting on the hospitals, you know, to partner with us and find those recovered COVID patients.
Host: Right. And so why is there such a current need?
Josie: I've seen our hospitals increase their load of patients and all of our local hospitals have increased in patients. So That's our local need, and we don't even have enough to ship out across the state to help other States with this need too.
Host: So for people who just want to donate blood, and for those who have recovered from COVID-19, are there any restrictions? Are there any requirements who exactly can donate?
Josie: Those recovered patients, they can contact us at Houchin. They can visit our website. There is a list of questions that we would need to ask them. Anyone and then going back to red cells and platelets, anybody can donate, there is a minimum age of 16, with the parental consent. We don't have an upper limit. e would just need donors to bring in a valid picture ID at the time that they donate, they must feel well and healthy and if they were on any antibiotics for at least three days, we have criteria for medications, medical conditions. We'll take their blood pressure, their pulse, their weight, their hemoglobin, and we have acceptance criteria for each one of those. Our website is www.hcbb.com. We have a lot of good information on the website. We have a frequently asked questions for eligibility that they could visit also.
Host: Okay. And then for someone that wants to donate, of course, like many people, they may be thinking, how safe is this? So what precaution has Houchin taken to ensure safety for employees and those donating?
Josie: Sure. Houchin has implemented, staff to wear a mask. So all those that take care of donors that come in, they have to wear a mask. We do, we do recommend a mask. We're not required to ask the donors to wear a mask, but we do recommend it. We also, the staff also have to take their temperature every day before they start their shifts. So we do have a policy in place that if they have any symptoms or they're not feeling well that they can go home. We are also social distancing in our lobbies. Our chairs our donor beds are at least six feet apart. Our buses are half capacity. Three donors on a six-bed bus. And our mobile drives. A lot of times, if we are backed up, we'll say, just remain in your vehicles and we'll send a text when you're ready to come on board on the bus so that we're not outside. So we're keeping the social distancing going on our mobiles also.
Host: Well, that's good to know. And anything else Josee you would like the public to know?
Josie: Yes, we have a COVID-19 hotline. Houchin has that. So if you are listening to this, then you are a recovered COVID-19 patient, please give us a call. Our area code is (661) 616-2575. And the lady said, answer the phone we'll have questions for you, and they will be able to set up an appointment so you can donate your plasma. If there's an organization out there, who's interested in booking a mobile, they can call our community development department, our phone number for that is area code (661) 616-2527. If you're interested in donating blood or platelets because platelets only have a five-day shelf life. So we are always in need of platelets that phone number is area code (661)-616-2518.
Host: Well, Josie, this has really been informative. There is a need for this. And if you're listening to this and you can donate blood, if you have recovered from COVID-19, please call one of those numbers and go see Josie at the Houchin Community Blood Bank. Josie, thank you so much for your time. This has really been informative. Thanks again,
Josie: Thank You
Host: That's Josie Pippert. And for more information, please visit Dignityhealth.org/bakersfield and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. This is Hello Healthy a Dignity Health Podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth thanks for listening.