BPL Plasma’s Copperas Cove location up and running

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The 41st center for BPL Plasma has opened its doors in Town Square Shopping Center in Copperas Cove. 
A staff of 30 is led by center manager Greg Johnston, and this is his 3rd BPL center that he has managed. He said he hasn’t seen a staff come together and work together as well as this one in Copperas Cove. 
Open Monday through Friday, from noon until 6 p.m., the center provides plasma, a lifesaving substance from donors’ blood. 
“It takes 16 units of plasma just for one hemophiliac treatment, said Mark Renteria, one of the center’s four medical supervisors. Plasma is also used for trauma patients and burn victims, he added. 
Their goal is to have repeat donors to build up the plasma supply as unlike blood donations, plasma can’t be mixed, Renteria added. 
The process for new donors from walking in the door can take up to 90 minutes, due to the initial screening process and brief physical exam, but for repeat donors, Renteria said they can be in and out of the center within 40 minutes. 
Once inside, new donors see a video that explains the process, and then they visit the reception area to take care of eligibility, followed by a visit to the private registration screening room, where the donor is photographed and has any questions answered. A donor’s blood is also screened for protein, iron levels, to make sure they are healthy to donate. 
Renteria is an EMT and one of the four medical supervisors that screens donors. 
“The center has 18 beds, with a ratio of one technician for every three donors,” Renteria said. “We like to keep a fun atmosphere. Customer service is also what we strive for, to set us apart from other plasma centers. We want our donors to come for the experience, not just the money. We want them to see friendly smiles and feel like family, not a number.” 
There is free Wi-Fi on site, so donors can bring laptops, tablets, phones, and each donor is given a goody bag with snacks and a drink. The center also features giveaways like TVs and other incentives to keep donors returning. 
All fun and smiles aside, the center also has its own inhouse lab where the donations are screened prior to leaving the center. Its quality control department also goes through every step of the process, post donation, to ensure that all donation paperwork and labs are verified. 
“They supervise everything, that it is sterile, safe, and passing standard.” Renteria said BPL Plasma is regulated by the FDA as well as the European Union and that all centers are audited annually. 
In addition to being one of the medical supervisors, Renteria works on the center’s marketing and community relations and said BPL Plasma center wants to be get involved locally. 
“We’re not just here to collet plasma, we’re here to be part of the community.” Renteria said BPL plans to join the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and there are talks about sponsoring a youth baseball team.
The new business has brought 30 jobs to Copperas Cove, but those numbers will rise after the clinic is open seven days a week. 
“Once we expand to 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. we’ll be hiring a lot more staff,” Renteria said. 
Among its present staff, its four medical supervisors are either EMTs, paramedics, or nurses, and the center manager is also a paramedic, he added. He said many of the center’s staff are former military or serve in the Reserves, with one of their assistant managers being currently deployed.
As far as how the center ended up opening on Copperas Cove, it was about a year process, center manager Greg Johnston said. BPL looks at local demographics and population when gauging whether or not to open a donation center. The proximity to Fort Hood was also ideal.