B

ImmunoTek celebrated its debut in the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony along with the Morristown Chamber of Commerce Tuesday morning.

ImmunoTek is a plasma donating facility where individuals can donate their plasma and be compensated for their time.

Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood and makes up about half of the blood volume. It is mostly made of water and contains valuable proteins, minerals, waste products, clotting factors, hormones and immunoglobins that can be life-changing for those in need of it.

The process of donating plasma is similar to the process of donating blood with the exception that after the plasma has been separated from the blood, the red blood cells are then put back into the body. The process enables an individual to donate up to twice in a 7 day period.

ImmunoTek has centers all over the United States and Center Manager David Schell says many factors, including traffic, local economy and population, came into play when they were deciding on Morristown’s newest location.

“They have a center development team that actually goes out and surveys different sights and gets a lot of information on what’s going on with economics and also where our competitors are at. Morristown had a lot of potential and no one else here was providing this service,” Schell said.

The new Morristown plasma center currently has the capability to host up to 20 donors at a time but Schell says they are expected to increase their capacity as time goes on.

Schell said that this location was projected to send an estimated $5 million back into the Morristown community in the form of jobs and donor compensation.

Individuals wishing to donate must meet a list of required health qualifications and undergo screenings and a full medical exam on site to ensure they’re safe to be considered for donating.

Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 65 years old, weigh at least 110 lbs. and be in good general health.

Interested donors must also provide a photo ID, proof of a social security number in the form of a social security card or tax document and proof of a current address.

Approved donors can earn an average of $300 a month donating plasma and will receive their compensation at the end of each session in the form of a reloadable debit card which they can then use anywhere they choose.