BioLife Plasma Services

Date of most recent encounter: 2/19/2024

I came into BioLife early last year and answered their incredibly long and invasive screening questions as honestly as I could including: “have you been diagnosed with anxiety or depression within the last three years” which as I’d been diagnosed with both in mid 2020 I had answered “yes”. I have been donating blood through a variety of different organizations for years and have never once been asked a mental health question so I didn’t see the significance at the time and still don’t.

This simple, honest answer deferred me from donating pending paperwork from my psych clearing me to donate. I acquired the paperwork a few months later and had not been into donate after due to personal life conflicts. My psych told me after she had reviewed the paperwork had told me she genuinely did not understand the relevance of their questions and said it was the most intrusive questionnaire she'd ever seen. My therapist and a phlebotomist with Red Cross also could not fathom why this information was relevant.

Today I came in, a full 3 years+ post diagnosis. I had made my appointment online and was told nothing about my deferrals still being in place. After about 30 minutes in the waiting room and being bounced from person to person I was sent to speak with the nurse as the deferrals were still on my account. I then sat through another incredibly invasive interview about my mental health including questions about self-harm, my medications down to the date prescribed and the most recent dose change, and my mental stability. Thirty minutes later I was told I was still deferred and my psych would need to fill out the paperwork again.

Why?

Because in spite of my psych saying "yes this person is stable to donate" the manager at BioLife decided I wasn't. There was nothing I could do about it at the moment my psych had to fill out the paperwork again, I'd need to come back on another day again, just to be asked more questions again, and still have no guarantee I'd be permitted to donate.

There is no research supporting BioLife policies and the nurse told me that they needed to be mentally stable enough to be around the other patients. I found this logic to be incredibly bizarre. There is no evidence that donating plasma would aggravate suicidal tendencies or self-harm behaviors. Especially not as the donation is happening.

So for those doing the math BioLife has wasted 2 hours of my time between two appointments, wasted my psychs time in paperwork, and wasted gas of mine over deferrals that could have been relayed to me prior to coming in.

I am writing this review because BioLife has to reevaluate its policies on mental health as the current ones have no basis in modern medicine.

I donated plasma on 06/03/2022 and ended up receiving a hematoma and phlebitis. When contacting this specific center I was informed by a nurse that I could be reimbursed for my doctor visit. Once completing the doctor visit I went to the center right after and was told by another nurse, Ashley, and the manager, Jaqui, that they do not normally reimburse donors for injuries caused by the center. During the discussion these two told me that they “have seen worse” and “it’s happen to me too”. While the nurse that informed me about reimbursement was still trying to help me receive reimbursement. Lots of miscommunication on their part and callously handling their mistake. I am not able to work at this moment due to their injury.

I have been donating with BioLife in Tempe AZ since they opened. I have a protein/Blood issue that I get a form signed every year. I had neck surgery and after I did a physical and donated I got a call a few days later that they have a new policy. I took the form to my surgeon and when he called to ask why they needed it someone on the phone said I DONT KNOW. Not something a surgeon feels comfortable with. I went back in person to BioLife to ask what I can do and he gave me a new form for my primary doctor to sign. I new he was in a hurry and I answered the questions on the form he looked them over and signed. I brought the forms in told the nurse that is what I did and he said the doctor's signatures were different. I just came from my doctor and said he could call him. Or if I could get new forms I will have him redo it and fax it from his office. He said he would give the forms to quality control. I got called today and they said because I altered the form which I did not, my doctor signed off on it and it was his bleeping signature! I am deferred from BioLife for good! I am so angry! Apparently they have enough plasma!

I went to your Tempe AZ Call Center 11/24 to donate plasma to help lives. A person in front of me complained I was standing too close. I explained to her that I was sorry but I am not sick nor have I been. Then I moved back. One of your employees I believe to be named Jetae accused me of being a racist to the management appearantly and said I was rude to the person in line. How she got that I was racist is beyond me because I did nothing or said nothing to imply such a thing. The management claimed that 2 employees were uncomfortable and permanently deferred me from their center. I am suspecting that Jetae may be the racist and this is her agenda. I have nothing to be ashamed of or deferred for and these employees were they questioned to my face would have to lie directly in saying that I made a racist comment to the lady in line. I explained to the manager of the center that I have a multi cultural family including African American and Hispanic member as well as Native American. I am certainly not a racist and all of them would testify to that fact. I resent the treatment I recieved at the hands of these managers based on heresay and I have never been rude to anyone in the Tempe Center and have gone in and out always. I want this investigated and I am making an appeal to upper management on behalf of this situation. I would not want to see this happen to any other patron/donor because it is hurtful to be accused of being a racist when you are not and then to be deferred like a criminal.

Biolife plasma services —
I am a monogamous gay man who has been married to my husband of 28 years and wasted two and a half hours at biolife plasma services. If they do not accept lgbtq donations of plasma, there should be a large sign at the entry which states such — way before an lgbtq person wastes so much time going through the entire intake process... To find out at the end of the laborious process, that they do not accept lgbtq people. Biolife services must also place a prominent notice on its website stating that it does not want/accept donations from lgbtq people.
I don't know who needs to take this up with the supreme court. That was discrimination which I (a 60+ year old man) experienced today. I am quite pissed off that this ignorance exists and that lgbtq people endure great wastes of our efforts due to ignorance.

Plz share so this makes it full-circle back to biolife plasma services.

Thank you!

When I first decided to come and register to be a donor at BioLife I had a problem with this location for this company which has just opened here in Tempe, AZ. From the first time I stepped in the door, alot of the staff there is women, and I mean about 95% of the staff are females and they are so entitled and rude acting to say the least. So I've donated in the past at a couple different centers never had any issues. I am a very healthy male, and they first of all [censored]ed my fingers way too hard when I was going through the screening process which is right before the actual donation process happens. Then they got an attitude with me because I said I'm concerned about the fact that they weren't giving me straight answers when I asked questions about MY blood or any other concern I might have. They act like bunch of bitter people who don't like they're jobs even though they just opened. I then called to speak to the center manager and that's when Lauren she said her name was kept giving me the run around and so that's when I decided to reach out to corporate and submit a complaint and I will be following up. And I would never recommend anyone to this center or this company if this is how they operate regularly...